Deseret

[Straha]

From: Spiritualist (lhferree@my-deja.com)
Subject: The Nation of Deseret


View this article only
Newsgroups: soc.history.what-if
Date: 2001-01-01 10:00:12 PST


What if the Mormons have gained status as an independent nation?
They don't have to settle in Utah as in OTL, other posts have mentioned
Alaska, Hawaii, Northern Mexico, and other locations. Other ideas have
been the Mormons revolting against the US Government after the South and
West have already gained their own independence. This might be
plausible also.
Many believe that the Mormon Nation would develop into a Theocracy,
which I guess might be plausible. Like OTL, what ever the Mormons
develop into would be bashed by Anti-Mormon groups, so I assume a strong
Military would be needed. Although I am sure things will change
slightly, the Mormon nation could have low divorce rate, low number of
births to unmarried women, low number of teenage mothers, low rates of
mental and addictive disorder, disapproval of corporal punishment, and
other things common to Utah in OTL that Anti-Mormon groups ignore.
So, in a way, the Mormon Nation would be an American Switzerland,
trying to be neutral. But because they are disliked by the rest of the
world, in general, they have a larger than Switzerland. If a Theocracy,
the Mormon Nation might have a simple 10% Income Tax. Full citizenship
would come only with being a Mormon, something common to most
Theocracies. Although the general quality of life will be better in the
Mormon Nation than other areas in America, it's plausible that areas
such as Civil Rights will be behind the times.
Thoughts?

--
Spiritualist
Alternative Zoology- http://members.nbci.com/agrarianist/index.htm
Coming Soon- Shades of History.
"I don't think witchcraft is a religion."- President George W. Bush
People of America, What you Reap is What you Sow.


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[Ace Venom]

I seem to recall from playing Victoria that there's a "Deseret Negotiators in Richmond" event where you can either choose to absorb Utah into the CSA or cleave off Deseret as an independent nation. It seems like a pretty good POD to get Deseret to be a separate nation, but this could just be a story like the rise and fall of the CSA.

[David S Poepoe]

I seem to recall that we discussed this very WI not more than three weeks ago.

[Michael Canaris]

Speaking personally, I'd rather see a Mormon country for once called something other than Deseret (how about Utah?)

[David S Poepoe]

Originally Posted by Michael Canaris

Speaking personally, I'd rather see a Mormon country for once called something other than Deseret (how about Utah?)

On the whole I think its pretty hard since the Mormons themselves - or at least Brigham Young - wanted to call it Deseret. That Utah became used is interesting, since exactly how influencial were the Ute Indians anyway? In the end I think the naming after the Ute Indians was an anti-Mormon action of sorts.