The Mountain Meadows Massacre (book) facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Juanita Brooks |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Mountain Meadows massacre |
| Publisher | University of Oklahoma Press |
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Publication date
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1950 (1st Edition) |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) & (Paperback) |
The Mountain Meadows Massacre (1950) by Juanita Brooks was the first definitive study of the Mountain Meadows massacre.
Juanita Brooks, a Mormon historian trained in historical methods, was discouraged from studying the incident, and she suffered some ostracism from fellow Mormons after its publication. Her work was acclaimed by historians, however, leading to her recognition as an exemplary historian of the American West and Mormonism. Her account of the massacre was eventually accepted by the Mormon leadership.
Summary
The Mountain Meadows Massacre was the first work to fully document Mormon involvement in the massacre. In the book, Brooks demonstrated convincingly that the Mormon militia was responsible for the massacre, and that John D. Lee, the only militiaman executed, was effectively a scapegoat. She writes, "The church leaders decided to sacrifice Lee only when they could see that it would be impossible to acquit him without assuming a part of the responsibility themselves".
The work cleared Brigham Young of any direct involvement, but did blame him for his incendiary rhetoric. Brooks writes, "While Brigham Young and other church authorities did not specifically order the massacre, they did preach sermons and set up social conditions that made it possible." In Brooks' unflinching narrative, she painted the Massacre as an overreaction by the Mormon militia forces, one that was a tragedy for all sides, resulting in the death of settlers and the tarnishing of the name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
On the role of her own grandfather Dudley Leavitt, Brooks seemed ambivalent. "We can only wonder as to Dudley's relation to the Massacre," Brooks wrote of him.
