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From Housewives To Protesters: The Story Of Mormons For The Equal Rights Amendment, Kelli N. Morrill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

On November 17, 1980, twenty Mormon women and one man were arrested on criminal trespassing charges after chaining themselves to the Bellevue, Washington LDS Temple gate. The news media extensively covered the event due to the shocking photos of middle-aged housewives, covered in large chains, holding protest signs and being escorted to police cars. These women were part of the group Mormons for the Equal Rights Amendment (MERA) and were protesting the LDS Church’s opposition to the ERA. The LDS Church actively opposed the ERA and played an important role in influencing the vote in key states leading to its …

Pushing The Car Of Progress Forward: The Salt Lake Tribune's Quest To Change Utah For Statehood, 1871-1896, Robert Patrick Mills

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The debate over Utah statehood involved several controversial issues that the United States government and the American public wanted resolved before admission would be granted. One strong advocate for such changes in Utah was the widely published newspaper, the Salt Lake Tribune, which continually published anti-statehood and anti-Mormon ideas in the final decades before Utah was finally admitted in 1896. This thesis studies and analyzes the Tribune’s editorials and news stories to better understand which issues opponents of statehood worried the most over and what they wanted to accomplish with their protest. It finds that Mormon political domination was …

Voices Of Dissent: The History Of The Reorganized Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints In Utah, 1863-1900, Richard Lyle Shipley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints began missionary activities in Utah in 1863. Missionaries were active throughout the territory. Over three thousand members of the Utah Mormon Church were brought into the ranks of the Reorganization during the nineteenth century.

Dissatisfied Mormons found the message of the Reorganization attractive. The "new church" denied polygamy and was led by Joseph Smith III, the oldest son of the mormon Prophet Joseph Smith. Its anti-Brigham Young attitude encouraged many dissatisfied Utah Mormons to join the Reorganization. Outstanding Josephite missionaries, often ex-Utah Mormons, were very successful in spreading their new …

A History Of The French Mission Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints 1850-1960, Gary Ray Chard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an evangelical religion. From a beginning in western New York in 1830, it grew into a world-wide organization which numbered more than a million and a half members by 1960. Those largely responsible for this growth have been the Church members who have volunteered two to three years of their time to missionary service. In 1960 there were approximately 7,000 of these missionaries working in different areas of the world. Of this number, almost 1,800 were serving in Europe, where with the exception of the personnel of the United States government …