ISBN: 9780375412080

In September 1857, a wagon train passing through Utah laden with gold was attacked. Approximately 140 people were slaughtered; only 17 children under the age of eight were spared. This in… More...

In September 1857, a wagon train passing through Utah laden with gold was attacked. Approximately 140 people were slaughtered; only 17 children under the age of eight were spared. This incident in an open field called Mountain Meadows has ever since been the focus of passionate debate: Is it possible that official Mormon dignitaries were responsible for the massacre? In her riveting book, Sally Denton makes a fiercely convincing argument that they were. The author-herself of Mormon descent-first traces the extraordinary emergence of the Mormons and the little-known nineteenth-century intrigues and tensions between their leaders and the U.S. government, fueled by the Mormons' zealotry and exclusionary practices. We see how by 1857 they were unique as a religious group in ruling an entire American territory, Utah, and commanding their own exclusive government and army. Denton makes clear that in the immediate aftermath of the massacre, the church began placing the blame on a discredited Mormon, John D. Lee, and on various Native Americans. She cites contemporaneous records and newly discovered documents to support her argument that, in fact, the Mormon leader, Brigham Young, bore significant responsibility-that Young, impelled by the church's financial crises, facing increasingly intense scrutiny and condemnation by the federal government, incited the crime by both word and deed. Finally, Denton explains how the rapidly expanding and enormously rich Mormon church of today still struggles to absolve itself of responsibility for what may well be an act of religious fanaticismunparalleled in the annals of American history. American Massacre is totally absorbing in its narrative as it brings to life a tragic moment in our history. Media > Book, [PU: Random House]<

2003, ISBN: 0375412085

Hardcover

[EAN: 9780375412080], [PU: Alfred a Knopf Inc, Westminister, Maryland, U.S.A.], MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE MORMONS UTAH, Jacket, An analysis of the September 1857 massacre of a gold-laden … More...

[EAN: 9780375412080], [PU: Alfred a Knopf Inc, Westminister, Maryland, U.S.A.], MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE MORMONS UTAH, Jacket, An analysis of the September 1857 massacre of a gold-laden wagon train of settlers passing through Utah draws on historical records to argue that Brigham Young and members of the Mormon Church played key roles in the crime. xxiii, 306 p. : map ; 25 cm. Bright, clean, still fresh copy, in a similar, unclipped dustjacekt, about 'as new'. Weight, 700g. We use both the Canada Post and the United States Postal Service and offer very competitive postal charges - based on actual costs, no overcharging. Images always available. Shipped well packed. USA postage usually $6.50 or less. Canadian postage varies considerably depending on weight and destination. Postage to anywhere within Canada, can now be approx US$15.00 for weights up to 5kg total weight, boxed, insured, trackable and faster than regular parcels. Less will be charged if rates indicate. NOW available - new, considerably lower Trans-Canada rates for many markets, and, new, considerably lower rates for Overseas destinations. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall, Books<