Abstract for the Symposium on the Nineteenth Century Press

 

 

The Press and the Mormons:

Newspaper Coverage of the 1887 Edmunds-Tucker Act

 

           This paper examines newspaper reporting regarding the 1887 Edmunds-Tucker Act passed by the United States Senate and House. The law, also known as the Anti- polygamy Act, was directed toward leaders and members of the Mormon Church in Utah. It was the strongest action taken by the federal government to date, and was designed to eliminate, once and for all, the practice of plural marriage by some members of the church, along with the Mormon hierarchy’s theocratic control of the Utah Territory.

           Newspapers were key players in the public, political, social, and moral discussion of the perceived evils of Mormonism, which actually occurred throughout much of the latter nineteenth century. They communicated the nature of church members and their practices and lives to the American public at large, increasingly encouraging and supporting strong measures to solve the “Mormon problem.” This study of late 1880s newspaper coverage of one aspect of the issues associated with Mormonism further enhances our knowledge of mass media practices during the period by providing additional understanding and insight into the attitudes of newspaper writers and editors as expressed through their writing about this major societal concern.