Party Wars: Polarization and the Politics of National Policy Making: 10 (The Julian J. Rothbaum Distinguished Lecture Series) - Softcover

Barbara Sinclair (author)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0806137797 ISBN 13: 9780806137797

Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press, 2006

Synopsis

Parley P. Pratt joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830 and was murdered in 1857 by the estranged husband of his twelfth plural wife. An original member of the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Pratt played a key leadership role for the Mormons. His writings, including poetry, apologetics, and an autobiography, helped define Mormon theology and identity, and his hymns remain popular today.Arguably Mormonism’s most influential early leader after Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, Pratt is also one of its least understood. This collection of essays uses Pratt’s life and writings as a means for gaining insight on early Latter-day Saint history, including the Church’s initial internationalization, vibrant print culture, development of a unique theology, family dynamics, and the Mountain Meadows Massacre.This fascinating compilation sets Pratt and Mormonism in the context of American religion and culture. The contributors examine Pratt’s political and religious struggles on behalf of Mormonism. His murder is also situated within competing narratives of religious martyrdom and sexual deviance, Victorian domestic ideals and domestic abuse.Because Pratt was killed in Arkansas, the massacre of Arkansas emigrants at Mountain Meadows in Utah has long been viewed as vengeance for his death. This well-crafted collection shows that view to be oversimplified. The narratives that emerge here will appeal to anyone seeking to understand the nuances of early Mormon history in the context of one of its most important and controversial figures.

About this title

About the Author

Barbara Sinclair was Marvin Hoffenberg Professor of American Politics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and is the author of Unorthodox Lawmaking: New Legislative Processes in the U.S. Congress.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0806137797
• ISBN 13: 9780806137797
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448