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SALT LAKE CITY -- The 24th of July weekend is an opportunity to think about pioneers and about immigration to a new place -- something we've been doing all week in our series, "The Dream Divided."
As we conclude this series, we take a look back at our state's early residents and what they might have in common with immigrants today.
The American dream was very real and even though they loved their culture and their people, the idea that they could achieve greater things economically was very important to the early saints.
–Paul Thomas Smith, LDS historian and author
In a Dan Jones & Associates poll for our series, we asked Utahns if people in Utah, particularly members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, should be more sympathetic to the plight of immigrants because of their own history of persecution and resettlement. Most said no, the times are different and history does not apply.
But some historians and economists we talked to have a different perspective.
By the thousands, the Mormon pioneers walked in search of safety and a better life. The reenactment at "This is the Place Heritage Park" reminds visitors of the faith, determination and hope that early Latter-day Saints possessed as persecution drove them from state to state.
Many immigrants came first to America as converts from Great Britain and Scandinavia.
"The American dream was very real and even though they loved their culture and their people, the idea that they could achieve greater things economically was very important to the early saints," says Paul Thomas Smith, an LDS historian and author.
The attraction of a promised land brought thousands of Church members to what would become the Utah territory. More than one visitor to the park believes this step back in time ought to reflect whose land it was then.
As the Church has become much more international in scope, then we have brought many more populations to Utah from all over the world.
–Pam Perlich, University of Utah economist
"We should have a flag of Spain, a flag of Mexico and of course, the early 29-star flag of America," Smith says.
The early pioneers considered themselves law-abiding citizens, but the government did not.
"The first anti-polygamy piece of legislation was passed by Congress in 1862," says Paul Reeve with the department of history at the University of Utah. "It made all those practicing polygamy in Utah territory lawbreakers."
Historians say just as the pioneers entered this valley more than 150 years ago, immigrants do so today with hope for a better life for themselves and their children.
Isrel Perez is supervising his young siblings and cousins who are U.S. citizens. He and his parents, here for nine years, are working to become legal. Attitudes have changed recently, so now they live in fear, but still would like to become Americans.
"The reason why we came here are simple," he says. "Our reasons [were] to make a better life for us. I achieved my goal, learning English, trying to finish my high school and trying to get a job. Mostly young people like us, to study and have a good life here, better than our parents' life before."
Immigrants come to Utah from countries throughout the world, some as refugees escaping political persecution, others pursuing the American dream. Those who were, and are, Latter-day Saints, came seeking a spiritual promised land.
"Every year the Church sends out this incredible sales force. These guys go all over the world and create a very positive impression of our community," says Pam Perlich, an economist with the University of Utah. "So as the Church has become much more international in scope, then we have brought many more populations to Utah from all over the world."
According to a 2009 survey filled out by Utah schoolchildren, more than 117 languages were spoken at home.
Some who responded to our poll question felt that connecting Mormon immigration to current immigration was unfair, that too much has changed in more than 150 years. But economists point out that Baby Boomers are the only generation in the 20th century in which the majority of children were born to U.S. citizens.
"It was a singular period of time in our nation's history where the same population replicated at a very high rate. Before that, immigrants, their kids and their grandkids constituted 90 percent of the growth of the nation's population and now, from now until 2050, immigrants, their kids and grandkids are 80 percent of the growth of the population of the nation," Perlich says. "No nation has ever attempted community building, nation building, with such diversity of culture, language, race, ethnicity and all the rest."
One statistic that piqued our interest during research for this project is the diversity that now exists in our state. Students fill out a survey every year that asks, "What language do you speak when you go home?"
In fall 2009, the children responded with 117 languages. They all call Utah home.
E-mail: cmikita@ksl.com
