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Oklahoma Western Biographies
Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith (Volume 31)
As president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Utah’s first territorial governor, Brigham Young (1801–77) shaped a religion, a migration, and the American West. He led the Saints to Utah, guided the establishment of 350 settlements, and inspired the Mormons as they weathered unimaginable trials and hardships. Although he generally succeeded, some decisions, especially those regarding the Mormon Reformation and the Black Hawk War, were less than sound. In this new biography, historian Thomas G. Alexander draws on a lifetime of research to provide an evenhanded view of Young and his leadership.
Following the murder in 1844 of church founder Joseph Smith, Young bore a heavy responsibility: ensuring the survival and expansion of the church and its people. Alexander focuses on Young’s leadership, his financial dealings, his relations with non-Mormons, his families, and his own deep religious conviction. Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith addresses such controversial issues as the practice of polygamy (Young himself had fifty-five wives), relations and conflicts between Mormons and Indians, and the circumstances and aftermath of the horrific events of Mountain Meadows in 1857. Although Young might have done better, Alexander argues that he bore no direct responsibility for the tragedy.
Young relied on the counsel of his associates, and at times, the Mormon people pushed back to prevent him from implementing changes. In some cases, such as polygamy and the doctrine of blood atonement, the church leadership eventually rejected his views. Yet on the whole, Brigham Young emerges as a multifaceted human figure, and as a prophet revered by millions of LDS members, an inspired leader who successfully led his people to a distant land where their community expanded and flourished.
Following the murder in 1844 of church founder Joseph Smith, Young bore a heavy responsibility: ensuring the survival and expansion of the church and its people. Alexander focuses on Young’s leadership, his financial dealings, his relations with non-Mormons, his families, and his own deep religious conviction. Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith addresses such controversial issues as the practice of polygamy (Young himself had fifty-five wives), relations and conflicts between Mormons and Indians, and the circumstances and aftermath of the horrific events of Mountain Meadows in 1857. Although Young might have done better, Alexander argues that he bore no direct responsibility for the tragedy.
Young relied on the counsel of his associates, and at times, the Mormon people pushed back to prevent him from implementing changes. In some cases, such as polygamy and the doctrine of blood atonement, the church leadership eventually rejected his views. Yet on the whole, Brigham Young emerges as a multifaceted human figure, and as a prophet revered by millions of LDS members, an inspired leader who successfully led his people to a distant land where their community expanded and flourished.
416 pages, Hardcover
Published May 2, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 17, 2020
Since 1987 I have lived just a few miles from where Brigham Young spent his early married years in Mendon, NY. I’ve spent many years learning the history of Brigham and his best friend Heber Kimball, my 3rd great maternal grandfather. My wife and I owned the Tomlinson Inn in Mendon where Brigham gave his first sermon the week after he had officially become a member of the new movement. None of the Brigham Young biographies dedicate much space to the New York years. Although, Palmer did do a short history of the New York period and Steve Schwendiman did an exhaustive 4 vol. history on all the LDS from that early branch in Mendon. But I digress.
Thomas G. Alexander is a first-rate historian and an outstanding writer who trained under Leonard Arrington during the so called “Camelot” years in the LDS Church History Department. There have been several great Brigham Young biographies (Arrington, Bagley, Turner, Hirshon). Alexander is among the best.
This bio begins with Young’s early life that involved some remarkable challenges including his father’s telling him at the age of 16 that it was time to make his own way in the world. Young’s family and extended family were deeply religious which contributed to their quick acceptance of Mormonism. The book moves quickly from Brigham’s conversion to his missionary work in England with his lifelong friend Heber Kimball, to Young’s putative head of the church in Nauvoo, IL, after the murder of Joseph Smith by a mob, and the trek to the Utah Territory.
The Massacre at Mountain Meadows forms a prominent place in the book. Alexander provides a concise yet masterful summary of a complex deeply troubling story. Aside from Turley and Walker, Alexander probably has the deepest analysis of the horrific tale. He pulls no punches and deftly describes the volatile time period and environment. Brigham is often remembered for his practice of polygamy and his folksy and sometimes fiery preaching; this book goes way beyond the traditional topics and explores his political acuity as governor and addresses the challenges of governing and his role as a spiritual leader. The final chapters address the challenges Brigham faced with decent from within with the rise of the short lived Godbeite movement and the hostile federal government.
Alexander is a devoted LDS, yet he takes on the tough questions with independence. All historians find blemishes and contradictions in their subjects and Brigham’s are on display but not excused. Brigham’s strengths and accomplishments appear with equal honesty.
Alexander divides Young’s life into his time as one of Joseph Smith’s reliable deputies, and then as a successful religious and political leader in his own right. The work highlights instances of Young’s pragmatism and adaptability, such as sometimes changing views on governance and doctrine. Of all the biographies I think Alexander does the best describing the tensions with Native Americans and the United States Government.
Like so many great individuals of history Brigham was complicated. Capable of compassion and theological brilliance as well as being fiery and harsh at times. One of my favorite stores of Brigham was when he was heading west again after one of his many trips east, when his party spotted the unusual sight of a a few wagons heading east. He crossed the Platte river only to find an LDS party who decided Utah was not "The Place" for them. Brigham proceeds to dress them down and condemn them. Then he looks at their provisions and condition and in compassion outfits them with all the needed supplies to get them to their destination and wishes them well. That story encapsulates the man, strong, sometimes dogmatic, flexible, fiery, but compassionate.
For my friends looking for a Brigham Young biography I most highly recommend Turner and Alexander.
Thomas G. Alexander is a first-rate historian and an outstanding writer who trained under Leonard Arrington during the so called “Camelot” years in the LDS Church History Department. There have been several great Brigham Young biographies (Arrington, Bagley, Turner, Hirshon). Alexander is among the best.
This bio begins with Young’s early life that involved some remarkable challenges including his father’s telling him at the age of 16 that it was time to make his own way in the world. Young’s family and extended family were deeply religious which contributed to their quick acceptance of Mormonism. The book moves quickly from Brigham’s conversion to his missionary work in England with his lifelong friend Heber Kimball, to Young’s putative head of the church in Nauvoo, IL, after the murder of Joseph Smith by a mob, and the trek to the Utah Territory.
The Massacre at Mountain Meadows forms a prominent place in the book. Alexander provides a concise yet masterful summary of a complex deeply troubling story. Aside from Turley and Walker, Alexander probably has the deepest analysis of the horrific tale. He pulls no punches and deftly describes the volatile time period and environment. Brigham is often remembered for his practice of polygamy and his folksy and sometimes fiery preaching; this book goes way beyond the traditional topics and explores his political acuity as governor and addresses the challenges of governing and his role as a spiritual leader. The final chapters address the challenges Brigham faced with decent from within with the rise of the short lived Godbeite movement and the hostile federal government.
Alexander is a devoted LDS, yet he takes on the tough questions with independence. All historians find blemishes and contradictions in their subjects and Brigham’s are on display but not excused. Brigham’s strengths and accomplishments appear with equal honesty.
Alexander divides Young’s life into his time as one of Joseph Smith’s reliable deputies, and then as a successful religious and political leader in his own right. The work highlights instances of Young’s pragmatism and adaptability, such as sometimes changing views on governance and doctrine. Of all the biographies I think Alexander does the best describing the tensions with Native Americans and the United States Government.
Like so many great individuals of history Brigham was complicated. Capable of compassion and theological brilliance as well as being fiery and harsh at times. One of my favorite stores of Brigham was when he was heading west again after one of his many trips east, when his party spotted the unusual sight of a a few wagons heading east. He crossed the Platte river only to find an LDS party who decided Utah was not "The Place" for them. Brigham proceeds to dress them down and condemn them. Then he looks at their provisions and condition and in compassion outfits them with all the needed supplies to get them to their destination and wishes them well. That story encapsulates the man, strong, sometimes dogmatic, flexible, fiery, but compassionate.
For my friends looking for a Brigham Young biography I most highly recommend Turner and Alexander.
June 29, 2021
As one who is new to studying the life of Brigham Young (I’ve only read a handful of books), I found this biography to be well studied/documented, and fair-minded. The author pulls no punches in many of the most controversial aspects of Young’s life- polygamy, mountain meadows, doctrines including Adam god theory, and blood atonement.
I found the book to be particularly insightful as outlined the reformation period.
I found the book to be particularly insightful as outlined the reformation period.
April 15, 2020
Thomas G. Alexander was the Lemuel Hardison Redd Jr. Professor of Western American History at Brigham Young University. Along with an illustrious career in teaching, he has published several works that are important to Latter-day Saint history, including the groundbreaking Mormonism in Transition: A History of the Latter-day Saints 1890-1830 as well as Things in Heaven and Earth: The Life and Times of Wilford Woodruff and Utah, the Right Place: The Official Centennial History.
Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith was written by Alexander as a part of the Oklahoma Western Biographies series—a collection of short biographies written from published sources. The biography is a fast-paced overview of Brigham Young’s life, covering key events from his childhood, his conversion to the early Latter Day Saint movement, and onward through his time as the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The heaviest emphasis is on his time in Utah Territory, both during his tenure as territorial governor and afterwards. Although it is light on citations (part of how the series is set up), it is well-researched and well-written.
In reading previous biographies of Brigham Young, I walked away from Leonard Arrington’s Brigham Young: American Moses feeling like I had a good understanding of what Brigham Young did and went through. After reading John Turner’s Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, I felt like I knew what Brigham Young was like as a person better than I did after reading Arrington’s biography. Given the fast-paced nature of Dr. Alexander’s work, it felt more like the former to me, with the focus being on the events that Brigham Young went through and the decisions he made rather than his inner workings. Alexander picked his battles on what he focused on, passing quickly over some areas of Brigham Young’s life to focus on others, particularly those where new insights could be shared. This was particularly true about the period of Brigham Young’s life between his conversion to the Church of Christ and the time that he was leading the Church from Salt Lake City. I suspect, however, that this was more due to the nature of writing a smaller biography on a big subject than anything else.
Thomas Alexander spends a lot of time and effort in this biography to rebut things ranging from common misconceptions to portrayals of significant events by other historians. Some of this was relatively minor things, such as the fact that there were whole copses trees in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 (not just one tree) and that the Salt Lake Valley is properly considered a dry summer temperate climate, not a desert. Others were less trivial. One that he brings up repeatedly is that the Latter-day Saints weren’t as quick to follow Brigham Young’s every word as is often portrayed—he did not have absolute authority and often only prevailed in implementing his policies through sheer persistence. On the notable topic of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Dr. Alexander goes to lengths to explain why the blame for the incident should be laid squarely on the shoulders of Isaac Haight rather than Brigham Young. He also suggested that the lack of immediate justice for the massacre was more the result of federal appointees who were so anti-Mormon they refused to accept the cooperation of Church leaders in the investigation than a cover-up by Brigham Young. It might just be me, but felt like it was unusually common throughout the book to come across moments of “this is what is often said” followed by “but this is what seems to have really happened.”
While Thomas G. Alexander is a Latter-day Saint, he doesn’t give Brigham Young an easy pass. One topic in particular that stood out to me in this biography was the failings of President Young’s policies towards Native Americans. In effect, Young tried to encourage Anglo-Americans and Native Americans to live side-by-side. While he encouraged the Latter-day Saints who were of European descent to share food and resources with their Native American neighbors, he also encouraged his fellow immigrants to settle on lands used by Native Americans for generations, effectively taking away their economic base. When this ended in warfare with the Utes, Brigham Young continued to bungle his handling of the situation, resulting in tragedies. While he doesn’t go easy on Brigham Young, the author does take the time to point out what Brigham Young did well. One part I especially enjoyed was a chapter talking about how Brigham Young used his sermons and cosmic stories to inspire the Latter-day Saints to live the gospel. Overall, Alexander has written an even-handed portrayal of Brigham Young, showing both areas where President Young did well and ones that he did not.
In summary, I felt that Thomas Alexander’s Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith is a well-written, even-handed and readable introduction to the life of a controversial and influential man. While it is not as in-depth as some other biographies, it provides a good overview of the subject and some new insights and research. It is definitely worth taking the time to read and is a good starting place for learning more about the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith was written by Alexander as a part of the Oklahoma Western Biographies series—a collection of short biographies written from published sources. The biography is a fast-paced overview of Brigham Young’s life, covering key events from his childhood, his conversion to the early Latter Day Saint movement, and onward through his time as the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The heaviest emphasis is on his time in Utah Territory, both during his tenure as territorial governor and afterwards. Although it is light on citations (part of how the series is set up), it is well-researched and well-written.
In reading previous biographies of Brigham Young, I walked away from Leonard Arrington’s Brigham Young: American Moses feeling like I had a good understanding of what Brigham Young did and went through. After reading John Turner’s Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, I felt like I knew what Brigham Young was like as a person better than I did after reading Arrington’s biography. Given the fast-paced nature of Dr. Alexander’s work, it felt more like the former to me, with the focus being on the events that Brigham Young went through and the decisions he made rather than his inner workings. Alexander picked his battles on what he focused on, passing quickly over some areas of Brigham Young’s life to focus on others, particularly those where new insights could be shared. This was particularly true about the period of Brigham Young’s life between his conversion to the Church of Christ and the time that he was leading the Church from Salt Lake City. I suspect, however, that this was more due to the nature of writing a smaller biography on a big subject than anything else.
Thomas Alexander spends a lot of time and effort in this biography to rebut things ranging from common misconceptions to portrayals of significant events by other historians. Some of this was relatively minor things, such as the fact that there were whole copses trees in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 (not just one tree) and that the Salt Lake Valley is properly considered a dry summer temperate climate, not a desert. Others were less trivial. One that he brings up repeatedly is that the Latter-day Saints weren’t as quick to follow Brigham Young’s every word as is often portrayed—he did not have absolute authority and often only prevailed in implementing his policies through sheer persistence. On the notable topic of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Dr. Alexander goes to lengths to explain why the blame for the incident should be laid squarely on the shoulders of Isaac Haight rather than Brigham Young. He also suggested that the lack of immediate justice for the massacre was more the result of federal appointees who were so anti-Mormon they refused to accept the cooperation of Church leaders in the investigation than a cover-up by Brigham Young. It might just be me, but felt like it was unusually common throughout the book to come across moments of “this is what is often said” followed by “but this is what seems to have really happened.”
While Thomas G. Alexander is a Latter-day Saint, he doesn’t give Brigham Young an easy pass. One topic in particular that stood out to me in this biography was the failings of President Young’s policies towards Native Americans. In effect, Young tried to encourage Anglo-Americans and Native Americans to live side-by-side. While he encouraged the Latter-day Saints who were of European descent to share food and resources with their Native American neighbors, he also encouraged his fellow immigrants to settle on lands used by Native Americans for generations, effectively taking away their economic base. When this ended in warfare with the Utes, Brigham Young continued to bungle his handling of the situation, resulting in tragedies. While he doesn’t go easy on Brigham Young, the author does take the time to point out what Brigham Young did well. One part I especially enjoyed was a chapter talking about how Brigham Young used his sermons and cosmic stories to inspire the Latter-day Saints to live the gospel. Overall, Alexander has written an even-handed portrayal of Brigham Young, showing both areas where President Young did well and ones that he did not.
In summary, I felt that Thomas Alexander’s Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith is a well-written, even-handed and readable introduction to the life of a controversial and influential man. While it is not as in-depth as some other biographies, it provides a good overview of the subject and some new insights and research. It is definitely worth taking the time to read and is a good starting place for learning more about the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
February 12, 2020
Pretty one sided. It also jumped around a lot.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews