AntiMormonism

1
Anti-Mormonism
2
Overview

• Early 19th century
• 1838 Mormon Extermination Order by Missouri
  governor.
• June 1844 Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum,
  killed by anti-Mormon mob in Nauvoo, Illinois
  jail.
• 1846 Mormon exodus westward to avoid
  persecution.
• Mid 19th century
• 1862 Morrill Act
• 1874 Poland Act
• 1878-9 Reynolds v. United States upheld
  Morrill Act
• Late 19th century
• 1880 Womens National Anti-Polygamy League
• 1882 Edmunds Act
• 1890 Woodruff Manifesto
• 1896 Utah granted statehood

3
Overview, continued

• 20th Century
• 1968 George Romney is the first Mormon to run
  for President of the United States.
• 1976 Current Missouri governor officially
  apologizes to Mormons for the 1838 Extermination
  Order.
• 21st century
• 2007 Mitt Romney, son of George Romney, runs for
  President of the United States.

4
Getting Started Objectives

• Define Anti-Mormonism
• Recognize themes of intolerance in the images
  from the website.
• Articulate why religious intolerance exists
  against Mormons by using the images to support
  claims.

5
Getting Started Activities

• Project 2-3 images at the start of class to
  initiate discussion of themes and speculation
  about the root causes of anti-Mormon sentiment.
• Using the worksheets as guides, create small
  research groups to present one image to the
  class. This may involve some outside research on
  the students parts.
• Concluding discussion Focus on the role of
  state/federal government in anti-Mormonism.
  Revisit the initial question of why Mormonism was
  portrayed in such negative ways. Are these
  themes still seen today? If so, what are the
  implications of them in larger society?

6
Encountering the Evidence

• Context
• Barts drawing for the Chicago Journal in 1904
  parodies the familiar childhood nursery rhyme of
  The Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe in his
  representation of Brigham Youngs large family.
  Like the old woman in the rhyme, Young had so
  many children that he did not know what to do
  with them. He allegedly had 55 wives and 58
  children, making him the most famous polygamist
  in United States history. The subsequent 1890
  declaration condemning polygamy created an
  ambiguity as to the exact nature of the Churchs
  anti-polygamy stance because of Youngs practice
  of plural marriage.

7
Encountering the Evidence

• Questions
• What is polygamy and why is it a problem for
  marriage?
• How would you describe the portrayal of Mormons
  in this image?
• What themes do you see in the image that the
  cartoonist employs in his depiction of Mormonism?
  Are they positive or negative? Why?

8
The Imposter
The Mormon Antichrist
9
Brigham Youngs Bedside