Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2016
Last exams 2025
The Mormon Migration, 1846-1847 (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
How did the Mormon Migration Influence Other Migrants?- Timeline &Summary
The Mormon migration to the Great Salt Lake from 1846 to 1847 played a significant role in encouraging other migrations to the West.
The Mormons established Salt Lake City in 1847. The settlement was located in the Salt Lake Valley of present-day Utah. The Mormons were fleeing persecution and seeking religious freedom.
Salt Lake City served as an inspiration for other migrants seeking a better life in the West. The Mormons established a thriving community in an area considered inhospitable. This demonstrated the possibilities and opportunities that awaited settlers.
The Mormon migration contributed to the development of infrastructure in the West. People began constructing roads, trails and settlements along the route travelled by the Mormons. These developments provided essential pathways and resources for settlers to follow. Salt Lake City itself became a model for future settlements in the region.
Who were the Mormons?
The Mormons are a religious group
They are a sect of Christianity
Joseph Smith founded the Mormon Church in 1830
Smith stated that the Angel Moroni visited him in 1827
Moroni instructed Smith to dig for golden plates and translate them into the Book of Mormon, the third section of the Bible
The Mormon Church gained followers
By 1831, 1,000 people followed the Mormon faith
The Mormons also angered other Christians
The Mormon Church believed in polygamy
Other Christians accused Smith of committing blasphemy and lying about his experience
The Murder of Joseph Smith
The Mormons moved often to avoid persecution
The Mormons had travelled from New York and settled in Kirtland and Missouri
Smith reached Nauvoo, Illinois in 1839
By 1845, the Mormons were no longer welcome in Illinois
In 1844, an angry mob murdered Joseph Smith
The Mormons' new leader, Brigham Young, wanted to find the 'promised land'
He believed that God had ordered the Mormons to travel west to the Salt Lake Valley
The Salt Lake Valley was not a part of the USA
Young hoped that the Mormons could settle there without persecution
Reaching Omaha, 1846
The angry residents of Illinois forced the Mormons to start their migration in February 1846
Young wanted to begin the journey in the spring because:
The grass would have grown to feed their livestock
The weather would be warmer
The first stage of the Mormon migration was slow
The weather was bitterly cold
Families struggled to make the journey
The Mormons reached Omaha in June 1846
Young decided it was too late to begin the next stage of their migration
The Mormons stayed in Omaha until Spring 1847
Reaching the Great Salt Lake, 1847
In April 1847, Young sent a small group to travel to Salt Lake Valley, 2,000km away
Only 150 Mormons were in the group
The group had enough food and supplies for a year
They also had a portable boat to cross rivers
Similar to the Donner Party, the Mormons left the Oregon Trail at South Pass, in the Rocky Mountains
The Mormons found a suitable route through the terrain
To prepare for future migration, the group:
Planted crops
Located water supplies
Built river crossings
The group reached the Salt Lake Valley in July 1847
A larger group of 1,500 Mormons followed the route and reached Salt Lake Valley in August 1847
From 1847 to 1869, 70,000 people followed the Mormon Trail to the Salt Lake Valley
Examiner Tips and Tricks
An exam question could ask you to write a narrative account of the Mormon migration. A common misconception that students have is that a narrative account is a story. A narrative account answer should follow CHRONOLINK:
Put the sequence of events in chronological order
Link each section of the narrative to the next event that occurred. You should use linkage terms such as: 'as a consequence', 'this led to' or 'because'
You should have three sections to your narrative. Each section should include specific knowledge about the events in the narrative. Your answer should include process words such as 'affected', 'increased' and 'worsened'. This allows you to move through the narrative and explain how key themes like the development of the West progressed through the chosen event.
Establishing Salt Lake City
The Salt Lake Valley was a challenging environment to establish a settlement
The lake held saltwater so this could not serve as drinking water
The land around the lake could not grow crops
Under Young's strict leadership, the Mormons created Salt Lake City
Factor | How did this factor help to build Salt Lake City? |
|---|---|
The Mormons believed that Brigham Young was God's prophet | All Mormons followed Young's instructions. Every person worked together. Mormon followers accepted that the Church owned everything |
The Mormons built irrigation systems. This transported fresh water from streams | The community could grow crops. The responsibility to build, maintain and operate the irrigation systems gave Mormons jobs |
The Mormons founded new settlements away from the Salt Lake Valley | Salt Lake City had the necessary products from these new settlements. The Mormons had a more reliable water supply |
New Mormon settlements had a mix of skilled labourers and a Church leader | Each settlement was productive and shared valuable resources. The Church leader ensured that all settlers followed Mormon principles |
Why was Mormon Migration Successful?
Worked Example
Explain the importance of the Mormon migration (1846-1847) to settlers migrating west
8 marks
Partial answer:
The success of the Mormon migration encouraged other settlers to travel west. The Mormons undertook extensive planning, such as planting crops on the route and completing extensive research on their journey. This was important for migration because it showed other settlers how to successfully travel westward. From 1847 to 1869, 70,000 Mormons used the Mormon Trail. Therefore the Mormons' migration gave an example to other groups of the amount of planning needed to make the journey to the West.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This style of question in the exam paper would be worth 8 marks. An examiner would expect you to write two paragraphs analysing the importance of an event on a wider theme like migration. A good response to this style of question would have:
A logical structure of paragraphs. Within each paragraph, each sentence should link to the next. This will build a strong argument as to why the event is important to the wider theme
Specific own knowledge linked to the event, showing in-depth knowledge of the period
A clear explanation as to why the event was important to a wider theme. In the example above, you can see the phrase 'This was important for migration'. This helps to keep the response focused on the question
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