Title: The politics of American religious identity
Description: Between 1901 and 1907, a broad coalition of Protestant churches sought to expel newly elected Reed Smoot from the Senate, arguing that as an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Smoot was a lawbreaker and therefore unfit to be a lawmaker. The resulting Senate investigative hearing featured testimony on every peculiarity of Mormonism, especially its polygamous family structure. The Smoot hearing ultimately mediated a compromise between Progressive Era Protestantism and Mormonism and resolved the nation's long-standing "Mormon Problem." On a broader scale, Kathleen Flake shows how this landmark hearing provided the occasion for the country--through its elected representatives, the daily press, citizen petitions, and social reform activism--to reconsider the scope of religious free exercise in the new century. Flake contends that the Smoot hearing was the forge in which the Latter-day Saints, the Protestants, and the Senate hammered out a model for church-state relations, shaping for a new generation of non-Protestant and non-Christian Americans what it meant to be free and religious. In addition, she discusses the Latter-day Saints' use of narrative and collective memory to retain their religious identity even as they changed to meet the nation's demands.
Subjects: Mormon Church, Legislators, Polygamy, United States. Congress. Senate, Christianity and politics, United States, Apostles, History of doctrines, Religious aspects of Polygamy, History, United states, congress, senate, Mormon church, history, Legislators, united states, Christiantiy and politics, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Privileges and Elections, Smoot, reed , 1862-1941, Historyunited states. congress. senate, United states. congress. senate. committee on privileges and elections., Mormon church--apostles--history, Mormon church--apostles--history--20th century, Legislators--history, Legislators--united states--history--20th century, Christianity and politics--history, Christianity and politics--united states--history--20th century, Polygamy--religious aspects--mormon church--history of doctrines, Polygamy--religious aspects--mormon church--history of doctrines--20th century, Christiantiy and politics--church of jesus christ of latter-day saints--history, Christiantiy and politics--church of jesus christ of latter-day saints--history--20th century, Christianity and politics--church of jesus christ of latter-day saints--history, Christianity and politics--church of jesus christ of latter-day saints--history--20th century, Bx8695.s74 f57 2004, 328.73/092, Religious aspects
Places: United States
People: Reed Smoot (1862-1941)
Time periods: 20th century