Brigham Young Quotes
If the Lord blesses us as he has done, we can have 1000 brave warriors on hand in a short time to help quell any eruption that might take place …
See {624460} for a recruitment attempt.
Brigham Young, 1801-1877, Mormon Leader and Governor of Utah, Letter to John Steele, October 1, 1855
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Five years earlier, Young had all but given up on the idea of converting Native Americans—see {619863} and {619863}. Young was very ambivalent about the Indians, at some points wanting to convert them and on others to have them removed from the area to make way for Mormon growth and development--{619865}. At this time, the Mormons and the Federal Government were at loggerheads regarding the requirement for enforcing Federal law in all territories including Utah. Young and others hoped to enlist Indian warriors in any potential battles with the army.
Christian Neophytes were Indians who claimed that they had converted to Christianity. The French initially banned giving or selling firearms to the Indians of North America. However in 1640, they made an exception to provide arms to the Huron Indians who they thought had converted to Christianity. Four years later the Jesuits were using guns as the major motivation for conversion of Indians. The hypocrisy of using weapons of war to attract converts to a religion of peace gave way to the incredible success that the trading of guns for souls had achieved. The French military also thought that the armed Indians could be used as allies in the coming battle with England for control of North America. The English then armed their Indian allies, and the French and Indian Wars saw armed Indians on both sides.
The letter was publicly posted on the religious school’s website.
- Born: June 1, 1801
- Died: August 29, 1877
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Leader
Brigham Young was an American religious leader, politician, and settler. He was the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until his death in 1877. He founded Salt Lake City and served as the first governor of the Utah Territory. Young also led the foundings of the precursors to the University of Utah and Brigham Young University.
