The Prophet and the Reformer
The Letters of Brigham Young and Thomas L. Kane
Published on 25. June 2015
Book
Hardback
568 pages
978-0-19-539773-4 (ISBN)
Description
Brigham Young and Thomas L. Kane first met on the plains of western Iowa in 1846 The Mormon prophet and the Philadelphia reformer would go on to exchange more than one hundred letters over the next three decades. This annotated collection of their correspondence reveals a great deal about these two remarkable men, while also providing crucial insight into nineteenth-century Mormonism and the historical moment in which the movement developed.
Until his death in 1877, Young guided the religious, economic, and political life of the Mormon community, whose settlements spread throughout the West and provoked a profound political, legal, and even military confrontation with the American nation. Young relied on Kane, 21 years his junior, as his most trusted outside adviser, making Kane the most important non-Mormon in the history of the Church. In return, no one influenced the direction of Kane's life more than Young. The surviving letters offer crucial insights into Young's personal life and views as well as his actions as a political and religious leader. The correspondence reveals the strategies of the Latter-day Saints in relating to American culture and government during these crucial years when the "Mormon Question" was a major political, cultural, and legal issue. The letters also shed important light on the largely forgotten "Utah War" of 1857-58, triggered when President James Buchanan dispatched a military expedition to ensure federal supremacy in Utah and replace Young with a non-Mormon governor.
The Prophet and the Reformer offers a complete reproduction of the exchange between Young and Kane, and provides an introduction to each letter that contextualizes and analyzes it.
Until his death in 1877, Young guided the religious, economic, and political life of the Mormon community, whose settlements spread throughout the West and provoked a profound political, legal, and even military confrontation with the American nation. Young relied on Kane, 21 years his junior, as his most trusted outside adviser, making Kane the most important non-Mormon in the history of the Church. In return, no one influenced the direction of Kane's life more than Young. The surviving letters offer crucial insights into Young's personal life and views as well as his actions as a political and religious leader. The correspondence reveals the strategies of the Latter-day Saints in relating to American culture and government during these crucial years when the "Mormon Question" was a major political, cultural, and legal issue. The letters also shed important light on the largely forgotten "Utah War" of 1857-58, triggered when President James Buchanan dispatched a military expedition to ensure federal supremacy in Utah and replace Young with a non-Mormon governor.
The Prophet and the Reformer offers a complete reproduction of the exchange between Young and Kane, and provides an introduction to each letter that contextualizes and analyzes it.
Reviews / Votes
Two intriguing characters, Brigham Young and Thomas Kane, in their own words; Mormons under pressure from the United States army; the Church struggling for survival in a hostile environment while the nation goes to war with itself. They are all here in this expertly edited collection of letters and compelling narrative of two critical decades in Mormon history. * Richard Bushman, author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling * [The book] reveals a profound mutual respect between the two men, and their correspondence provides considerable insight regarding the relationship of the Mormons and the US government during years that were critical for the church * S. C. Pearson, CHOICE *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 37 mm
Weight
1107 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-539773-4 (9780195397734)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Matthew J. Grow | Ronald W. Walker
The Prophet and the Reformer
The Letters of Brigham Young and Thomas L. Kane
E-Book
05/2015
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€27.49
Available for download
Matthew J. Grow | Ronald W. Walker
The Prophet and the Reformer
The Letters of Brigham Young and Thomas L. Kane
E-Book
05/2015
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€21.99
Available for download
Persons
Matthew J. Grow received his PhD in U. S. history from the University of Notre Dame (2006) and previously taught history at the University of Southern Indiana, where he directed the Center for Communal Studies. He is currently director of publications for the Church Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a general editor of the Joseph Smith Papers. His first two books book, "Liberty to the Downtrodden": Thomas L. Kane, Romantic Reformer and Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism have both received the Best Book of the Year from the Mormon History Association.
Ronald W. Walker has lived the past thirty-five years in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is the author or co-author of more than five dozen scholarly articles and nine books.
Ronald W. Walker has lived the past thirty-five years in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is the author or co-author of more than five dozen scholarly articles and nine books.
Content
Abbreviations ; Editorial Method ; Introduction ; Letters ; 1. Young to Kane, August 2, 1846 ; 2. Kane to Young, September 10, 1846 ; 3. Kane to Young, September 22, 1846 ; 4. Kane to Young, November 5, 1846 ; 5. Kane to Young, December 2, 1846 ; 6. Young to Kane, December 6, 1847 ; 7. Kane to Young, December 9, 1847 ; 8. Young to Kane, February 9, 1848 ; 9. Kane to Young, March 14, 1848 ; 10. Young to Kane, May 9, 1848 ; 11. Young to Kane, October 20, 1849 ; 12. Kane to Young, July 11, 1850 ; 13. Kane to Young, September 24, 1850 ; 14. Kane to Young, February 19, 1851 ; 15. Kane to Young, February 21, 1851 ; 16. Kane to Young, April 7, 1851 ; 17. Kane to Young, April 7, 1851 ; 18. Kane to Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Willard Richards, July 29, 1851 ; 19. Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Willard Richards to Kane, September 15, 1851 ; 20. Young to Kane, May 29, 1852 ; 21. Kane to Young, October 17, 1852 ; 22. Young to Kane, May 20, 1853 ; 23. Kane to Young, July 18, 1853 ; 24. Young to Kane, January 31, 1854 ; 25. Kane to Young, April 28, 1854 ; 26. Young to Kane, June 29, 1854 ; 27. Young to Kane, October 30, 1854 ; 28. Kane to Young, January 5, 1855 ; 29. Kane to Young, July 10, 1855 ; 30. Young to Kane, September 30, 1855 ; 31. Young to Kane, April 14, 1856 ; 32. Young to Kane, January 7, 1857 ; 33. Young to Kane, January 31, 1857 ; 34. Kane to Young, March 1857 ; 35. Kane to Young, May 21, 1857 ; 36. Young to Kane, June 29, 1857 ; 37. Young to Kane, September 12, 1857 ; 38. Kane to Young, February 17, 1858 ; 39. Kane to Young, ca. February 25, 1858 ; 40. Kane to Young, February 25, 1858 ; 41. Young to Kane, March 9, 1858 ; 42. Young to Kane, March 15, 1858 ; 43. Kane to Young, ca. March 16, 1858 ; 44. Young to Kane, April 17, 1858 ; 45. Young to Kane, May 8, 1858 ; 46. Young to Kane, May 12, 1858 ; 47. Kane to Young, July 5, 1858 ; 48. Kane to Young, July 18, 1858 ; 49. Young to Kane, August 6, 1858 ; 50. Kane to Young, August 25, 1858 ; 51. Young to Kane, September 1, 1858 ; 52. Young to Kane, September 10, 1858 ; 53. Young to Kane, October 22, 1858 ; 54. Young to Kane, October 29, 1858 ; 55. Young to Kane, November 22, 1858 ; 56. Young to Kane, January 14, 1859 ; 57. Young to Kane, May 3, 1859 ; 58. Kane to Young, July 24, 1859 ; 59. Young to Kane, September 17, 1859 ; 60. Young to Kane, December 15, 1859 ; 61. Young to Kane, March 22, 1860 ; 62. Kane to Young, April 25, 1860 ; 63. Young to Kane, April 26, 1860 ; 64. Kane to Young, August 15, 1860 ; 65. Young to Kane, September 27, 1860 ; 66. Young to Kane, September 21, 1861 ; 67. Kane to Young, November 23, 1861 ; 68. Young to Kane, April 29, 1864 ; 69. Young to Kane, April 15, 1866 ; 70. Young to Kane, November 9, 1867 ; 71. Young to Kane, May 4, 1869 ; 72. Kane to Young, October 13, 1869 ; 73. Young to Kane, October 15, 1869 ; 74. Young to Kane, October 26, 1869 ; 75. Young to Kane, February 14, 1870 ; 76. Kane to Young, March 20, 1870 ; 77. Kane to Young, June 18, 1870 ; 78. Young to Kane, August 16, 1870 ; 79. Young to Kane, April 16, 1871 ; 80. Young to Kane, September 27, 1871 ; 81. Kane to Young, October 12, 1871 ; 82. Kane to Young, November 9, 1871 ; 83. Kane to Young, November 30, 1871 ; 84. Young to Kane, March 5, 1872 ; 85. Kane to Young, October 16, 1872 ; 86. Young to Kane, October 31, 1872 ; 87. Kane to Young, April 2, 1873 ; 88. Kane to Young, April 4, 1873 ; 89. Kane to Young, April 15, 1873 ; 90. Young to Kane, May 7, 1873 ; 91. Young to Kane, July 31, 1873 ; 92. Young to Kane, November 16, 1873 ; 93. Kane to Young, December 4, 1873 ; 94. Kane to Young, September 12, 1875 ; 95. Kane to Young, May 28, 1876 ; 96. Kane to Young, October 21, 1876 ; 97. Kane to Young, February 8, 1877 ; 98. Kane to Young, March 2, 1877 ; 99. Kane to Young, March 2, 1877 ; Epilogue