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Quiz about Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 the first 911
Quiz about Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 the first 911

Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857: the first 9/11 Quiz


This quiz will cover the events of September 11th, 1857. Known today as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, it was America's first 9/11. Innocent civilians, seeking a better life, were attacked and killed, over ideological differences.

A multiple-choice quiz by Lorvanwa. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
Lorvanwa
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
343,329
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
384
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The Mountain Meadows Massacre occurred during the conflict known as the "Utah War." Who were the opposing forces in the war? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The Baker-Fancher wagon-train consisted of around 150 unarmed, non-Mormon civilians. The train was traveling through Salt Lake City and came to rest in the area of Mountain Meadows. Where was the wagon-train headed? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The Mormon militia dressed as Native Americans during the attack.


Question 4 of 10
4. John D. Lee, a leader of the local Mormon church, led the opening attack against the wagon-train, on Sept. 7th. Five days later, on the 11th, the wagon-train allowed him (still in disquise) to enter their camp. Why would they permit this? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Immediately before John D. Lee entered the camp on the 11th, an order had been given to annihilate all party members, except children seven years and under (some accounts record the age limit as six). Why was this order given? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The surviving children were fostered in Mormon homes. What happened to most of the property and possessions of the deceased? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. This man's involvement in the massacre is widely debated, to this day. He was the leader of the Mormons through the Utah War, including the Mountain Meadows and the Aiken massacres. Historians within the LDS church claim that he rejected the idea of attacking the party, but his letter arrived two days late, on Sept. 13, 1857. What is his name? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The government of the United States issued indictments and arrested several leaders of the local Mormon church and its militia. But, in the end, how many were actually convicted? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. What happened to John D. Lee? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The Mormon leadership still denies involvement and refuses to issue and apology.



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The Mountain Meadows Massacre occurred during the conflict known as the "Utah War." Who were the opposing forces in the war?

Answer: Mormons vs. United States Army

It was also called the Mormon War. The Mormons of Utah desired to have their own, independent state. Utah was a haven after the violent conflicts that had resulted in the death of their prophet Joseph Smith. So the Mormons formed a militia, naming themselves the Nauvoo Legion and took up defensive positions against the U.S. Army.

But the two forces never actually met in battle; so all casualties were non-Mormon civilians. The bulk of the casualties would have resulted from the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
2. The Baker-Fancher wagon-train consisted of around 150 unarmed, non-Mormon civilians. The train was traveling through Salt Lake City and came to rest in the area of Mountain Meadows. Where was the wagon-train headed?

Answer: California

The party of men, women and children were traveling through the area when they were spotted by the Mormon militia.
3. The Mormon militia dressed as Native Americans during the attack.

Answer: True

The motive for the incident may never be known, but it can be inferred that the militia wanted future west-bound pioneers to fear the Utah region's native peoples and steer clear. So they armed a few Native Americans from a neighboring tribe, the Paiute, and dressed themselves similarly.
4. John D. Lee, a leader of the local Mormon church, led the opening attack against the wagon-train, on Sept. 7th. Five days later, on the 11th, the wagon-train allowed him (still in disquise) to enter their camp. Why would they permit this?

Answer: The militia had raised the white flag.

The party was low on supplies, and, I'm sure, desperately wanted the fighting to end. Wagon-trains would defend themselves by forming a circle, chaining the wheels together and filling the space under the wagons with dirt. This made a formidable defense.

In this way the party fought the Mormons for five days. Until the 11th, when they allowed a few bearing the white flag to enter, requiring the wagons to be unchained.
5. Immediately before John D. Lee entered the camp on the 11th, an order had been given to annihilate all party members, except children seven years and under (some accounts record the age limit as six). Why was this order given?

Answer: They feared that the victims had seen a white man.

They wanted to eliminate any threat of being connected to the massacre. So they killed all members of the party: men, women, and all children older than seven or eight years. Afterwards, out of about 150 people, only seventeen children remained.
6. The surviving children were fostered in Mormon homes. What happened to most of the property and possessions of the deceased?

Answer: Auctioned to Mormons from within the Tithing House.

The children did eventually go home to Arkansas, but I'm not sure exactly when. There are a few videos of ceremonies done in remembrance to the surviving children of the massacre. They can be found by searching youtube.com for "children of Mountain Meadows."
7. This man's involvement in the massacre is widely debated, to this day. He was the leader of the Mormons through the Utah War, including the Mountain Meadows and the Aiken massacres. Historians within the LDS church claim that he rejected the idea of attacking the party, but his letter arrived two days late, on Sept. 13, 1857. What is his name?

Answer: Brigham Young

Brigham, and other church leadership, were not indicted in the crimes, as no evidence of their guilt was ever presented.
8. The government of the United States issued indictments and arrested several leaders of the local Mormon church and its militia. But, in the end, how many were actually convicted?

Answer: Only one.

Yes, despite how many participated, only nine indictments were issued, and of those, only one person was convicted: John D. Lee. He led the opening attack, was one of the men who entered bearing the white flag, and a key figure in planning the massacre.

He was also a constable, judge, and an "Indian Agent" (a person who dealt with Native American tribes as an authorized government representative).
9. What happened to John D. Lee?

Answer: Executed

He chose to be shot rather than hanged for his crimes.
10. The Mormon leadership still denies involvement and refuses to issue and apology.

Answer: False

Finally, on Sept. 12th, 2007, the 150th anniversary of the massacre, a representative of the church named Elder Eyring issued a formal, public apology. He expressed deep regret and sorrow for the horrific crimes. His statements can be found easily by a Google search for "2007 Mormon apology Mountain Meadows."
Source: Author Lorvanwa

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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