As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been encouraged to learn more about moral agency and how the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence support religious liberty.
A discussion guide titled “Celebrating the Founding of the United States and the U.S. Constitution” is available online on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
In a video, President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency, and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles discuss the importance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and constitutional amendments that enabled the Restoration of the Church.
Following is a timeline of a few of the significant events in the history of the nation and of the Church:
CHURCH HISTORY
1805: Joseph Smith born
1830: Church organized
1839: Latter-day Saints driven from Missouri
1844: Joseph Smith martyred
1846-47: Church members driven from Illinois and begin settling what will become Utah
1857-58: U.S. Army marches to Utah, conflict eventually resolved peacefully
1893: Salt Lake Temple dedicated
1912: 1st seminary, adjacent to Granite High School in Salt Lake County
1929: Tabernacle Choir begins weekly broadcasts
1931: 1st edition of Church News printed
1955: Temple in Switzerland is first outside of U.S. and Canada
1996: More Church members live outside U.S. than in U.S.
2002: Book of Mormon translated into 100th language
2026: 219th temple dedicated
UNITED STATES HISTORY
1776: 13 British colonies, from New Hampshire to Georgia, declare independence from Great Britain
1788-91: U.S. Constitution adopted, Bill of Rights guarantees religious freedom
1850: U.S. reaches Pacific coast with California becoming 31st state
1861-65: Civil War; 13th Amendment to Constitution abolishes slavery
1869: Transcontinental railroad completed in Utah
1896: Utah becomes 45th state
1917-18: World War I
1919: 19th Amendment guarantees women right to vote
1929-39: Great Depression
1941-45: World War II
1991: End of the Cold War
2001: Sept. 11 attacks
2020-23: COVID-19 pandemic
