90: Top Ten Books in Mormon History – Pedestals and Podiums

One event or movement that is still in the memory banks of many Mormons or just outside of the memory of the younger generation is the battle over the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) of the 1970s and 1980s. In what became a culture war more than a discussion of women's issues, the Mormon church proved to be an effective political machine in by substantially contributing to the defeat of the ERA which was central to the women's liberation movement. One might argue that this experience laid the blueprint for the church's later political involvement in the debates surrounding marriage equality of 2008 in California and nationally in 2014-15. It was during the 1970's, and specifically the ERA debates, that the church developed the justification for ecclesiastical political involvement in the public sphere by claiming the that questions of interest are really moral ones rather than mere political ones TL/DR: In this final installment of "Top Ten Books on Mormon History," Ben and I discuss an extensive case study of how local lay members as well as top church leaders engaged in the political issues of women's rights in the 1970s and 1980s via Martha Bradley's Pedestals and Podiums: Utah Women, Religious Authority, and Equal Rights Our "Top Ten Books on Mormon History" list was composed for someone new to Mormon History. The criteria for inclusion are the book's demonstration of: Use of a sophisticated academic approach and emphasis on analysis over merely regurgitating data and documents. Coverage of an important person, event, or period in Mormon history Quality of writing. Length (not too long). The List Matthew Bowman, The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith Release in March Richard Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling Release in April Ronald Walker et. al., Massacre at Mountain Meadows Release in May Sarah Barringer Gordon, The Mormon Question Polygamy and Constitutional Conflict in Nineteenth-Century America Release in June Kathryn Daynes, More Wives Than One: Transformation of the Mormon Marriage System, 1840-1910 Release in July Paul Reeve, Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness Release in August Kathleen Flake, The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle Release in September Armand Mauss, The Angel and the Beehive: THE MORMON STRUGGLE WITH ASSIMILATION Release in October Prince & Wright, David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism Release in November Martha Bradley, Pedestals and Podiums: Utah Women, Religious Authority, and Equal Rights Release in December