Utah Constitutional Convention of 1895
From its founding in New York in 1830, the Latter-day Saints had moved to Missouri, Ohio, and later Illinois, where they established the city of Nauvoo.
When the church's founder and first President Joseph Smith was killed by a mob, Brigham Young led a large body of Latter-day Saints westward into Mexican territory along what is now known as the Mormon Trail.
[3] In 1848, the land occupied by the Latter-day Saint settlers was part of the vast area acquired by the United States as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
The articles established three branches of government, limited voting rights to white men, and mentioned the separation of church as well as the freedom of religion.
[9] The territory's borders were considerably smaller than what was proposed, but still spanned across present-day Utah, Nevada, and a small portion of Colorado.
[11][12] Discontent between the people of Utah and their federally appointed government leaders and judges contributed to another attempt at gaining statehood.
This time, the people of Utah faced obstacles much greater than just having a small population; Two of the major roadblocks to statehood were the practices of slavery and polygamy, what Republicans referred to as the twin relics of barbarism.
[14] The statehood application was rejected, and President James Buchanan went on to accuse Brigham Young of being a theocratic dictator in Utah and stirring up an insurrection.
However, Brigham Young, still president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, retained great power in the Mormon-dominant population of Utah.
[19] Beginning in the 1860's, Brigham Young pushed for Latter-day Saints to become more economically self-sufficient, which led to boycotts of non-Mormon businesses, adding to existing tensions.
By this time, the Non-Mormon Liberal Party was actively opposing statehood, as it would give voting power to the Mormon electorate instead of having officials chosen by the federal government.
[26][27] In 1890, Wilford Woodruff, the fourth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, issued a manifesto in which the practice of polygamy was prohibited in the Utah territory.
The following year, he introduced the Enabling Act and worked with both Republicans and Democrats until it was approved by Congress and signed by President Grover Cleveland on July 16, 1894.
The Enabling Act also outlined how many delegates each county would be able to send to the convention, what day they would begin (March 4, 1895), and any other stipulations or provisions that must be included in the constitution in order for Utah to receive statehood.
[33][34] Notable attendees include John Henry Smith, Parley P Christensen, B. H. Roberts, Orson F. Whitney, Franklin S. Richards, Charles S. Varian,[35] C. C. Goodman,[35] Karl G. Maeser, Lorin Farr and Heber M. Wells (For a complete list of delegates, see List of Utah Constitutional Convention Delegates).
The delay in choosing a permanent president of the assembly was the result of a vacancy in the five delegate seats from the third precinct of Salt Lake City.
This was not because the delegates were opposed to the idea of women’s suffrage; on the contrary, both the republican and the democrat political parties in Utah had initially expressed their support for the moment and promised to include the issue in the convention agenda.
Once ignored in your constitution–you’ll be as powerless to secure recognition as we are in the older states.”[39] Women could not vote for which delegates should attend the constitutional convention, but they still found ways to make their voices heard.
Anthony addressed a large congregation of women at the Salt Lake Tabernacle and congratulated them on their successful fight for suffrage.
