Introduction

I have been listening to the Mormon Stories series with Mike from ldsdiscussions.com. In Race & Mormon Scripture Pt 2 w/ LDS Discussions – 22, Mike references a source the church uses in Gospel Topics Essays: Race and the Priesthood where Brigham Young introduced the priesthood ban for folk of African lineage and his arguments in favor of slavery in the state of Utah. Mike states that the quotes he uses from Brigham Young aren’t even the worst ones in the source material. Thinking he was exaggerating, I decided to read the source material for myself – and it turns out he wasn’t exaggerating.

Mike’s overview on ldsdiscussions.com is awesome, would highly recommend anyone read it: Overview of Race in the Scriptures of Mormonism.

Notes

Gospel Topics Essays: Race and the Priesthood

Footnote 9

The original quote from the Gospel Topics Essay (as of Nov. 19, 2024):

At the same time, President Young said that at some future day, black Church members would “have [all] the privilege and more” enjoyed by other members.

This is the link to the footnote they cite: https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/e6a939a0-3402-4771-814d-4eaf2547e613/0/0

Note: the church states: “we ask you to be respectful in your use of Church-owned material.” I doubt they would consider this respectful, so I am choosing not to redistribute the source material on this site.

Description: Papers of George D. Watt MS 4534 box 1 folder 3; images 142, 140, 138, 136, 134. Sermon not in Journal of Discourses or in CR 100 317; in Complete Discourses of Brigham Young 1:468. Transcribed by LaJean Purcell Carruth 1 March 2013.

Brigham Young’s Quotes

The below are quotes I viewed as significant and that I wholeheartedly view as racist and immoral:

the Lord inquired for Abel and made Cain own what done with him now says Grandfather I won’t destroy the seed of Michael and his wife and Cain I will not kill you nor suffer anybody else to kill you I will put a mark on you what is the mark you see that mark on the face the countenance of every African you ever did see on face of earth

now then in kingdom of God on earth a man who has the African blood in him cannot hold one one jot nor tittle of priesthood

not one particle of power can that posterity of Cain have until the time comes the Lord says have it that time will come they are under curse so are we they will come and have the privilege of all we have the privilege and more

In the kingdom of God on the earth the Africans cannot hold one particle of power in government they are the subjects the eternal servants of residue of children and the residue of children through the benign influence of the Spirit of the Lord have the privilege of saying to posterity of Cain inasmuch as the Lord [is?]

not one of children of old Cain as any right to bear rule in government affairs from first to last … it was taken from them by their own transgression and I and I cannot help it

We know there is a portion of inhabitants of earth in Asia that are Negroes said to be Jews … they may have their sacrifices and they may perform all the religious ceremonies any people on earth perform let me tell you this the day they consented to mingle that seed together the priesthood taken from Judah and that portion of it will never get any rule blessings of priesthood until Cain gets it

I will not consent for one moment to have an African to dictate me nor my brethren with regard church and state government

I will not consent for a moment to have the children of Cain rule me nor my brethren when it is not right

I have given you the true principles and doctrine

as for our bills passing here we lay the foundation for what for men to come here from Africa hundreds and thousands of black Jews and [reign/run?] through Spain find mixture no those men come here from the islands are they going to tell who shall be governor no

they know no more about voting dictating as jackass does just make bill here for mules to vote as Negroes Indians

you cannot find [then/even?] [man/men?] upon earth seed of Cain that knowledge and sensibility

look at Indians they have not got that sensibility as men have that curse not upon

What gentiles doing consent to do what we are trying to do today to make Negro equal with us in all our privileges my voice shall be against all the day long