Slavery in Utah

[Spicy McHaggis]

https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comme ... r_more_of/

This is a post from Reddit. The chart shows the percentage of slaves in counties in 1860. There are so many awful parts of mormon history that slavery is often forgotten. Slaves were part of the first group who entered the Salt Lake Vally in July 1847. I've heard that some people paid tithing by giving slaves to the church or Brigham Young. BY sided with the south in the Civil War, probably for two reasons: 1-he was such an awful racist and 2-because he hated the US federal government.

On a side note, how many neighborhoods put up flags yesterday? I alway laugh on July 24 when so many Utah mormons turn it into a patriotic day and fly the US flag. Brig and the mormons absolutely hated the US government.

[Palerider]

I alway laugh on July 24 when so many Utah mormons turn it into a patriotic day and fly the US flag. Brig and the mormons absolutely hated the US government.

Brigham had a "good thing" going exploiting all those naive converts coming from Europe. African Americans weren't the only people being enslaved. When destitute converts arrived in the hugely remote valley and saw the reality of Zion, they had three choices:

1. Get in line and continue to support King Brigham.

2. Keep quiet

3. Get the hell out of Dodge with even less than you arrived with.

Yeah, Brigham hated the U.S. Government alright because they were going to take all that away. The U.S. government is the greatest blessing Utah and the church ever received.

[Hagoth]

They generally don't mention that half of the handcarts pioneers moved on as soon as they could get out of debt to the church.

[græy]

They generally don't mention that half of the handcarts pioneers moved on as soon as they could get out of debt to the church.

I would love to read more about this. Do you have any good books/sources?

[Hagoth]

I would love to read more about this. Do you have any good books/sources?

Of course, I can't remember where I read this, so I hope I didn't make it up
It might be in this article by Will Bagley that tells the rest of the (disturbing) story:
https://user.xmission.com/~research/cen ... ndcart.pdf

Here's a brief review of Devil's Gate by David Roberts, in which he dispels many of the faith-promoting myths:
https://www.denverpost.com/2008/12/11/h ... hypocrisy/

And many of those who are aware of it see the experience as inspiring, as evidence of profound faith and divine intervention, according to Roberts. Not a single member of the handcart companies apostated, they claim.

The truth, however, is that the planning for the handcarts was bungled through stupidity and arrogance, and the result was a journey of such horror that many who lived through it could never talk about it. And yes, many of the survivors did desert the church.