Category: American History

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19th Century American West

Who Was the Latter-day Saint Pioneer, John Steele?

A portrait of John Steele, an Irish-born Latter-day Saint pioneer, Mormon Battalion veteran, and frontier explorer who helped settle Southern Utah.

John Steele was an Irish-born Mormon Battalion member, pioneer physician, and influential militia leader who helped settle the high deserts of Southern Utah. Raised by a Waterloo veteran, Steele navigated the frontier with a rigid military discipline that often blurred the lines between civic duty and religious enforcement. Whether practicing folk magic and herbal medicine or commanding southern Utah troops during the Utah War or the Black Hawk War, Steele’s life reveals the gritty complexities of building a self-sufficient “Mormon Kingdom” through absolute obedience. In this interview, Kerry William Bate explores the irascible spirit of a man who was as much a dedicated explorer as he was a “thrasher” of dissent.

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American West Vast Early America

How Did the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Challenge the Protestant Establishment?

An AI-generated oil painting depicting the 19th-century conflict between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Protestant establishment, showing a dominant town square church separated from a rugged Latter-day Saint temple site by a transparent wall representing First Amendment religious freedom.

The rise of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posed a significant challenge to the nineteenth-century Protestant establishment by rejecting traditional religious authority and claiming new revelation. While the “godless” Constitution aimed to prevent religious conflict, it inadvertently fueled a competitive marketplace where Protestant groups leveraged cultural power to define acceptable faith. Early Saints exposed the limits of the First Amendment as their communal ambitions and alternative family structures met intense federal coercion and societal violence, such as the Utah War or the anti-polygamy raid. In this interview, historian Matthew Avery Sutton explores how this struggle shaped American law.

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American West

What Was the Washakie Ward?

Northwestern Shoshone members at the historic Washakie Ward LDS meetinghouse in 1910, featured in Native Saints.

Native Saints: The Washakie Ward is a new digital history resource documenting the resilient lives of Northwestern Shoshone converts who established a thriving farming community in northern Utah. During the 1870s, after some spiritual manifestations, these Shoshone requested that Latter-day Saint missionaries visit them, and they were soon baptized. At Washakie, they built a ward that preserved their language and heritage through indigenous leadership and record-keeping. This history traces their journey from spiritual visions to the tragic 1969 burning of their homes and modern efforts toward land restoration. In this interview, historian David Grua explains how collaboration with tribal elders helped recover these vital stories of faith.

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American West Brigham Young Latter-day Saint History

Who Was Brigham Young? Life, Wives, Teachings, and Legacy

Brigham Young has been called an "American Moses" who led a mass exodus of Latter-day Saints from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley

Brigham Young is one of the most influential figures in the history of the American West. As the prophetic successor to Joseph Smith, he engineered a westward exodus of tens of thousands of pioneer Latter-day Saints, earning the nickname “American Moses.” Young’s subsequent leadership in Utah evoked both praise and scorn. On one hand, he founded 350+ settlements, built the Salt Lake Temple, and testified of Christ. On the other hand, the pioneer prophet married 55 wives, instituted a racial priesthood ban, and used violent rhetoric that sparked the Mountain Meadows Massacre. In the end, he was a complex man who could inspire both love and fear.

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Vast Early America

What Role Did Genealogy Play in the Founding of America?

An image of George Washington writing his genealogy, associated with Karin Wulf's Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in Early America

Genealogy in early America functioned as a vital legal and political infrastructure rather than a simple personal hobby. While Revolutionary leaders publicly rejected inherited political power, they still relied heavily on family trees to dictate property rights, establish social credit, and enforce the laws of coverture and slavery. From George Washington tracking inheritances on a two-sided chart to everyday citizens recording lineages in almanac margins and on stitch samplers, ancestry acted as an inescapable cultural currency. In this interview, historian Karin Wulf explores how tracing these deeply embedded family connections reshapes our understanding of the nation’s founding.

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19th Century American West Latter-day Saint History

What Was the Juvenile Instructor Office?

An illustrated cover of a 1910 edition of the Juvenile Instructor, featuring the imprint and an illustration of young children playing.

The Juvenile Instructor Office was a printing press established by George Q. Cannon in 1866. At the time, the Apostle and private secretary to Brigham Young was concerned that Utah Territory was being flooded with “Gentile” materials from the East that didn’t align with Latter-day Saint values. To address the issue, he created the press to produce “home literature” specifically for children and emigrant converts. Cannon funded the venture on his own, publishing works such as the Faith Promoting Series, the Juvenile Instructor, and the biography, “Life of Joseph Smith.” The printing office heightened Cannon’s influence, broke the Deseret News‘s monopoly, and was ultimately purchased by the Church, paving the way for pioneer faith-promoting publications and the modern Deseret Book Company.

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American History Ancient history Latter-day Saint History Theology

The Best of From the Desk: 2025 Year in Review

Illustrated scholar’s desk with an open annotated book, stacked manuscripts, and parchment sketches, with “2025” engraved on the wooden surface, symbolizing a year-in-review of historical and theological scholarship.

Another year is in the books—and it’s resulted in some thought-provoking scholarship. We’ve put together a list of 2025’s most influential interviews, along with fan favorites, and identified recently published pieces that are already trending. Plus, we’ve cut through the stats to highlight this year’s hidden gems. From Bruce Chilton’s groundbreaking work on the Aramaic Jesus to Jonathan Stapley’s unprecedented history of Latter-day Saint temple worship, these are 2025’s most noteworthy interviews in history, religion, and theology.

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American West Latter-day Saint History

Who Was Martha Hughes Cannon?

Portrait of Martha Hughes Cannon, the first female state senator in the United States, Utah physician, suffragist, and advocate for women’s rights.

Martha Hughes Cannon was the first female state senator in the United States, elected in Utah shortly after women won the right to vote there. A physician, suffragist, and plural wife, she navigated political campaigns, medical practice, and family life while under intense public scrutiny. In this interview, historian Constance L. Lieber shares the challenges of condensing Cannon’s life into a brief biography, the insights gained from surviving letters and family stories, and the surprising ways Cannon’s perseverance and ingenuity shaped her extraordinary life.

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American West Brigham Young

Who Was Chief Wakara?

Painting of Chief Wakara, the 19th-century Ute leader, by artist Solomon Nunes Carvalho

Chief Wakara (also known as “Chief Walker” or “Walkara”) was a 19th-century Ute leader who shaped the American West. He partnered—and clashed—with Brigham Young, defended Native sovereignty, and led legendary horse raids. In 1850, Wakara was baptized into the Latter-day Saint faith, treating it as one strand in his broader spiritual life, while many pioneers interpreted it as a step toward his skin becoming “white and delightsome.” Modern Utes caution against calling him “chief,” noting it’s a derisive term that misrepresents their culture’s situational leadership. In this interview, historian Max Perry Mueller explains how Wakara influenced westward expansion and why his role has largely been erased from history.

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19th Century American West Latter-day Saint History

Who Was Responsible for the 1856 Handcart Tragedy?

Broken handcart with shattered wheel in the snow, symbolizing the 1856 Mormon handcart tragedy and pioneer endurance

The tragedy of the Willie and Martin handcart companies can’t be blamed on one person. It resulted from delayed departures, flawed handcart designs, and leadership decisions under pressure. For example, Brigham Young’s instructions, Levi Savage’s warnings, and Franklin D. Richards’s missteps all shaped the outcome. Beyond blame, the story also highlights the faith, resilience, and sacrifice of the emigrants and their rescuers. In this interview, Don H. Smith and Mark C. Austin provide insights that challenge myths while honoring the courage of the 1856 pioneers, drawing from their book, Bring Them to Zion: The 1856 Handcart Emigration Organization, Leadership, and Issues.

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