ook away the right to vote to any known person practicing polygamy. Republicans sought out to fight against the moral injustices of plural marriage and the subordinate role of African Americans in society. Denial of black priesthood could have been a way for the Church leaders to publicly challenge the increasingly moral attitudes of Republican officials. Upon the turn of the century African Americans began to take on a different role in society. Black citizens began to reside primarily in urban areas due to increasing employment opportunities. Large-scale employment prospects in Utah were created by the existence of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads. The majority of Utah African Americans lived around the cities of Ogden and Salt Lake. The Church made little to no effort to convert Negroes. International missionary efforts were restricted to countries that contained Caucasian citizens. The Church made noticeable efforts to maintain the idea of segregation. It wasnt until 1963 that Church attempted to establish their first mission in an African nation, Nigeria11. When the Nigerian government became aware of Mormon practices concerning blacks, they denied any members of the Church visas to enter their country. Negroes faced discriminatory rules outside the Church; African Americans were banned from many recreational facilities as well as restaurants throughout Utah. Many parallels existed between Utah and States located in the south that strictly enforced Jim Crow laws. In1939 a petition that was initiated by Sheldon Brewster, a Mormon bishop, began to circulate that would allow the City of Salt Lake to restrict African-Americans to a specific district in the Northwest side12. Blacks throughout Salt Lake City marched to the Capitol Building in protest of the efforts to restrict residential areas by race; due to the demonstrations City commissioners disapproved the petition. The second half to the twentie...
