Item Detail
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27972
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0
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0
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English
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Statehood for Utah : A Different Path
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Mormonism and American Culture
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New York, NY
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Harper & Row
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127-41
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To the Mormons, the achievement of statehood for Utah would be a means to [their pursuit of political self-determination]. But for the nation, the Mormons constituted a cultural crisis. How could the American people assimilate a community with institutions so divergent from accepted Protestant standards? Howard R. Lamar gives a cogent explanation of how such a difficult process could be effected within the context of the American political tradition. Significantly, as Lamar observes, the accomodation was accomplished with such finesse that both sides felt they had achieved a victory. The Mormons were able to accept the compromise without surrendering anything essential to their faith. They had come full circle: by leaving behind the political Kingdom of God and polygamy they were left free to continue their original search for a religiously homogeneous community. They still had their prophet, their priesthood, and their sacred books while the nation was now willing to let them continue their pursuit of community largely unmolested. [Editors' summary]