The U.S. government targeted plural marriage, which was, in the words of journalist Ken Verdoia, "the easiest whipping boy for Federal officials who really feared... theocracy in Utah." Congress would refuse the Utah Territory's applications for statehood for four decades, until the church renounced polygamy in 1890.Following the Mexican–American War, it became part of the Utah Territory, which included what is now Colorado and Nevada. Disputes between the dominant Mormon community and the federal government delayed Utah's admission as a state; only after the outlawing of polygamy was it admitted as the 45th, in 1896.The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state.
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Statehood - I Love History - Utah.gov
As Brigham Young and the early Mormon settlers found out, the federal government had the power to appoint anyone it wanted to a territorial political position. Or ...
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Utah Becomes a State - I Love History - Utah.gov
To do this, Utah would have to be a state, not a territory. 1852. LDS church authorities announced in public that some Mormons were practicing plural marriage. The ...
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What delayed Utah from becoming a state?
The U.S. government targeted plural marriage, which was, in the words of journalist Ken Verdoia, "the easiest whipping boy for Federal officials who really feared... theocracy in Utah." Congress would refuse the Utah Territory's applications for statehood for four decades, until the church renounced polygamy in 1890.

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The Path to Utah Statehood | American Experience | Official Site | PBS
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Why did Utah not become a state right away?
Following the Mexican–American War, it became part of the Utah Territory, which included what is now Colorado and Nevada. Disputes between the dominant Mormon community and the federal government delayed Utah's admission as a state; only after the outlawing of polygamy was it admitted as the 45th, in 1896.

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Utah - Wikipedia
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Was Utah a territory before it became a state?
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state.
In 1848, the United States gained control of Utah from Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American War. ... Over the next several years, disagreements between the U.S. government and LDS Church leaders kept Utah from becoming a state. It wasn't until January 4, 1896 that Utah was admitted as the 45th state.While the LDS population teeters on minority status in Utah's most populous county, adherents are growing in number in Utah County. ... Utah's most populous county is becoming less-LDS, according to church statistics, while neighboring Utah County, which has four Mormon temples and plans for a fifth, is growing more LDS.
Look, yes, the population of Utah is predominantly Mormon. ... There are many non-Mormons in Utah, religious or otherwise.
The settlement of Utah by Anglo-Saxons was commenced in July, 1847, when Brigham Young, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, lead the Saints to settle what is now Salt Lake City, a group consisting of 143 men, 3 women and 2 children.
