Item Detail
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32889
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0
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4
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English
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Conflict of Church and State: Two Latter-day Saint Poets’ Perspectives on the Utah War of 1857–58
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Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies
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2009
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1
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1
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Orem, UT
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Intermountain West Journal of Religious Studies
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1-22
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"In a recent lecture, historian William MacKinnon looked to the future study of the Utah War, the armed conflict between Mormon settlers in Utah and the United States government in 1857–58. MacKinnon pointed out that although the Utah War was the largest military conflict in the years between the Mexican and Civil wars, involving one-third of the U.S. Army, it has been largely forgotten in American history, leaving ample room for new research. He noted a few recent scholarly contributions to the field, including his own two-volume study At Sword’s Point, saying that scholars have only seen “the tip of the iceberg” of this fascinating historical episode. MacKinnon’s comment is remarkable considering that he has devoted half a century to the study of the year-long power struggle between U.S. president James Buchanan and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and Utah territorial governor
Brigham Young. As much of the discussion about the Utah War has been fraught with controversy, MacKinnon expressed hope that new discoveries would be accompanied by civility and “that light generated [would] exceed the heat,” as he called for a renewed investigation of this “complex and colorful” conflict. Lamenting that historians had missed opportunities for enrichment by failing to search beyond traditional sources such as journals, newspapers, and government reports, he encouraged the consideration of the nonconventional discourses of folklore, the visual arts, literature, and music. Indeed, such material provides a valuable supplement to the study of history as it reveals unique insight into the subjective perceptions that lay behind the events of the past. This essay seeks to expand the scope of Utah War studies in response to MacKinnon’s charge by analyzing the Latter-day Saint perception of the conflict through the 1857 poetic representations of two Mormon writers." [author] -
A Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
At Sword's Point, Part 1 : A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858
The Politics of American Religious Identity : The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle
The Story of Our Hymns : 'School Thy Feelings, O My Brother,''Blow Gently, Ye Wild Winds,''Up, Awake, Ye Defenders of Zion,''Beautiful Zion for Me' by Charles W. Penrose