Utah War

The Utah War, also known as the Mormon War or Mormon Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Mormon [settler]]s in Utah Territory and the U.S. government’s armed forces. It lasted from May 1857 to July 1858.

The Mormon religion existed since the 1830s. One of the things they believed in was that a man could legally marry more than one woman. This is known as plural marriage, or polygamy. James Buchanan was the U.S. president at the time. One of the things he wanted to do is to abolish polygamy. Buchanan also learned that the Mormons wanted to split from the United States. They wanted to create an independent country, with Brigham Young as their leader. So, Buchanan replaced Young, by sending Alfred Cumming, as a governor. He didn't tell Young though. Also, Cumming wasn't Mormon. The Mormons killed between 120 and 140 settlers, who were on their way to California. The massacre is known as Mountain Meadows Massacre today.

References

• [Allen, James B.; Leonard, Glen M. (1976), The Story of the Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book Co., ISBN 0-87747-594-6]
• [Arrington, Leonard (1985). Brigham Young: American Moses. New York: A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-3945-1022-4.]