"It incarnates each unclean beast of lust, guile, falsehood, homicide, despotism and non secular wickedness." So wrote a well known Southern Baptist reputable in 1899 of Mormonism. instead of the "quintessential American religion," because it has been dubbed through modern students, within the overdue 19th century Mormonism was once America's such a lot vilified homegrown religion. an enormous nationwide crusade that includes politicians, church leaders, social reformers, the clicking, women's firms, businessmen, and usual electorate sought to finish the exact Latter-day Saint perform of plural marriage, and to extinguish the total faith if want be.

Placing the move opposed to polygamy within the context of yank and southern historical past, Mason demonstrates that anti-Mormonism was once one of many earliest automobiles for reconciliation among North and South after the Civil struggle and Reconstruction. Southerners joined with northern reformers and Republicans to suggest using newly multiplied federal strength to conquer the perceived probability to Christian marriage and the yank republic.

Anti-Mormonism was once an important highbrow, criminal, spiritual, and cultural phenomenon, yet within the South it used to be additionally violent. whereas southerners have been taken with certain Mormon ideals and political practices, they have been such a lot alarmed on the "invasion" of Mormon missionaries of their groups and the chance in their better halves and daughters falling prey to polygamy. relocating to shield their houses and their honor by contrast possibility, southerners became to laws, to faith, and, so much dramatically, to vigilante violence.

The Mormon Menace presents new insights into the most very important discussions of the past due 19th century and of our personal age, together with debates over the character and boundaries of non secular freedom; the competition among the desire of the folks and the guideline of legislations; and the function of electorate, church buildings, and the nation in regulating and defining marriage.