Uses selections from the correspondence and diaries of the Council of Twelve to show changes in church policy, and looks at how Mormonism faced the issues of church doctrine, religious practices, and the role of women

Mormonism in Transition: A History of the Latter-day Saints, 1890-1930

Alexander, Thomas G.

History

University of Illinois Press

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Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

As president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Utah’s first territorial governor, Brigham Young (1801–77) shaped a religion, a migration, and the American West. He led the Saints to Utah, guided the establishment of 350 settlements, and inspired the Mormons as they weathered unimaginable trials and hardships. Although he generally succeeded, some decisions, especially those regarding the Mormon Reformation and the Black Hawk War, were less than sound. In this new biography, historian Thomas G. Alexander draws on a lifetime of research to provide an evenhanded view of Young and his leadership. Following the murder in 1844 of church founder Joseph Smith, Young bore a heavy responsibility: ensuring the survival and expansion of the church and its people. Alexander focuses on Young’s leadership, his financial dealings, his relations with non-Mormons, his families, and his own deep religious conviction. Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith addresses such controversial issues as the practice of polygamy (Young himself had fifty-five wives), relations and conflicts between Mormons and Indians, and the circumstances and aftermath of the horrific events of Mountain Meadows in 1857. Although Young might have done better, Alexander argues that he bore no direct responsibility for the tragedy. Young relied on the counsel of his associates, and at times, the Mormon people pushed back to prevent him from implementing changes. In some cases, such as polygamy and the doctrine of blood atonement, the church leadership eventually rejected his views. Yet on the whole, Brigham Young emerges as a multifaceted human figure, and as a prophet revered by millions of LDS members, an inspired leader who successfully led his people to a distant land where their community expanded and flourished.

Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith (Volume 31) (The Oklahoma Western Biographies)

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

University of Oklahoma Press

Mormonism is the unofficial name for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which originated in the early 1800s. Mormonism refers to the doctrines taught by Joseph Smith, doctrines that are believed to be original gospel preached by Jesus Christ. The Mormons oppose abortion, homosexuality, unmarried sexual acts, pornography, gambling, tobacco, consuming alcohol, tea, coffee, and the use of drugs. Despite its relatively young age, the Mormon Church continues to grow, and today it contains about 13 million members.The third edition of the Historical Dictionary of Mormonism expands on the second edition with a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on crucial persons, organizations, churches, beliefs, and events. Clearing up many of the misconceptions held about Mormonism and its members, this is an essential reference.

Historical Dictionary of Mormonism (Volume 89) (Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements Series (89))

Bitton, Davis

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Scarecrow Press

A clash of interests: Interior Department and Mountain West, 1863-96

Brigham Young University Press

The life of Edward Hunter Snow (1865–1932), a leader in second-generation Mormon Utah, closely paralleled the early-twentieth-century development of the West. Born in St. George, Utah, to Julia Spencer and Mormon apostle Erastus Snow, Edward Hunter Snow was instrumental both in the development of southern Utah and in the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during a period of rapid change. In Edward Hunter Snow, the first biography of the man, noted western and Mormon historian Thomas G. Alexander presents Snow as a servant of family, church, state, and nation. 
Offering insights into the LDS Church around the turn of the twentieth century, Alexander narrates the events of Snow’s missions to the American South, including encounters with the Ku Klux Klan in the 1880s, and to New York. As president of the St. George Stake and church leader, Snow sought to reshape the LDS Church’s place in Utah—confining its influence to religious and cultural practices and avoiding politics.
Although he was involved in numerous causes throughout his life, Snow was especially dedicated to education. A graduate of what is now Brigham Young University, he worked to ensure that the state’s children would have access to quality education. Snow founded what is now Dixie State College and, as a state senator, introduced legislation to establish what is now Southern Utah University.
As the nineteenth century gave way to the twentieth, Snow helped St. George grow from an isolated cotton colony to an important stop on the main automobile route from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. Alexander shows that rugged, southwestern Utah’s flowering into cultural and commercial maturity was due to the foresight and dedication of second-generation pioneers like Edward Hunter Snow.

Edward Hunter Snow: Pioneer―Educator―Statesman

The Arthur H. Clark Company

Mormons & Gentiles: A history of Salt Lake City (The Western urban history series) [Hardcover]

Mormons & Gentiles: A history of Salt Lake City (The Western urban history series)

Pruett Pub. Co

On September 11, 1857, a wagon train of emigrants passing through the Utah Territory on their way to California were massacred at Mountain Meadows. Although today’s historians agree that the principal perpetrators were members of the Mormon militia in southern Utah, how much the central Mormon leadership, especially Brigham Young at the top, knew about the massacre, when and how they learned about it, and the extent of a cover up afterward are still matters of controversy and debate. 
In this 12th volume of the Arrington Lecture Series, Thomas Alexander (Lemuel Redd Professor of Western American History, Emeritus, at Brigham Young University), asserts that Brigham Young and the LDS Church’s governing Quorum of Twelve made timely and diligent efforts to investigate the massacre and encouraged legal proceedings but were hindered by federal territorial officials and lied to by massacre participant John D. Lee, preventing Young from learning the full truth for many years.

Brigham Young, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Latter-Day Saint Investigation of the Mountain Meadows Massacre: Arrington Lecture No. Twelve (Volume 12) (Arrington Lecture Series)

Americas

Utah State Special Collection

Utah, the Right Place: The Official Centennial History

Traces the personalities and events that have shaped the forty-fifth state of the Union

Gibbs-Smith

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Alexander, Thomas G.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Alexander, Thomas G.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Alexander, Thomas G.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Mormonism in Transition: A History of the Latter-day Saints, 1890-1930

Mormonism in Transition: A History of the Latter-day Saints, 1890-1930

Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith (Volume 31) (The Oklahoma Western Biographies)

Historical Dictionary of Mormonism (Volume 89) (Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements Series (89))

A clash of interests: Interior Department and Mountain West, 1863-96

Edward Hunter Snow: Pioneer―Educator―Statesman

Mormons & Gentiles: A history of Salt Lake City (The Western urban history series)

Brigham Young, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Latter-Day Saint Investigation of the Mountain Meadows Massacre: Arrington Lecture No. Twelve (Volume 12) (Arrington Lecture Series)

Utah, the Right Place: The Official Centennial History

Utah, the Right Place: The Official Centennial History