God's Country, Uncle Sam's Land: FAITH AND CONFLICT IN THE AMERICAN WEST [Hardcover]

Todd M. Kerstetter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2006

While many studies of religion in the West have focused on the region's diversity, freedom, and individualism, Todd M. Kerstetter brings together the three most glaring exceptions to those rules to explore the boundaries of tolerance as enforced by society and the U.S. government. "God's Country, Uncle Sam's Land" analyzes Mormon history from the Utah Expedition and Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 through subsequent decades of federal legislative and judicial actions aimed at ending polygamy and limiting church power.It also focuses on the Lakota Ghost Dancers and the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota (1890), and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas (1993). In sharp contrast to the mythic image of the West as the "Land of the Free," these three tragic episodes reveal the West as a cultural battleground - in the words of one reporter, "a collision of guns, God, and government." Kerstetter asks important questions about what happens when groups with a deep trust in their differing inner truths meet, and he exposes the religious motivations behind government policies that worked to alter Mormonism and extinguish Native American beliefs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kerstetter's well-written study unpacks how devastating the conflict becomes when mythic worlds - in this case those of region and religion - collide." Great Plains Quarterly "An important contribution to our understanding both of the role of religion in the development of the American West and of the interplay of government and social geography in shaping religion." Journal of American History "Kerstetter has selected a trio of events that not only invite comparison but also stimulate critical questioning... [A] well-balanced and exemplary book." American Historical Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Book Description

While many studies of religion in the West have focused on the region's diversity, freedom, and individualism, Todd M. Kerstetter brings together the three most glaring exceptions to those rules to explore the boundaries of tolerance as enforced by society and the U.S. government. In sharp contrast to the mythic image of the West as the "Land of the Free," Kerstetter analyzes three tragic episodes that reveal the West as a cultural battleground: the Mormon Utah Expedition and Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857, the Lakota Ghost Dancers and the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota in 1890, and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas in 1993.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press; 1St Edition edition (February 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252030389
• ISBN-13: 978-0252030383
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,913,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.