Date of Award:
5-2013
Document Type:
Dissertation
Degree Name:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department:
School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Committee Chair(s)
Steven P. Camicia
Committee
Steven P. Camicia
Committee
Cindy D. Jones
Committee
Philip L. Barlow
Committee
Keri Holt
Committee
Barry M. Franklin
Abstract
The Mountain Meadows Massacre is widely considered to be the most violent and controversial event in Utah’s history. This qualitative study investigates how the massacre has been portrayed to Utah’s schoolchildren through the state’s history and social studies curricula, and why curricular narratives of the massacre have changed with time. The study documents changes in curricular narratives of the Mountain Meadows Massacre from the years 1908-2011. It also compares these narratives with four concurrent sources providing narratives of the massacre: (a) public monuments commemorating the massacre, (b) curricular narratives published by Utah’s dominant religious and cultural institution—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church), (c) Paiute Indian narratives of the massacre, and (d) scholarly histories. Analysis of these texts provides answers to the following question: What factors have contributed to changes over time in how the Mountain Meadows Massacre has been portrayed in Utah’s public school curricula?
Checksum
ac552cae039ec56f71328227ef73a83f
Recommended Citation
Olson, Casey W., "The Evolution of History: Changing Narratives of the Mountain Meadows Massacre in Utah's Public School Curricula" (2013). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 2071.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/2071
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