Building a "Theodemocratic" Kingdom: The Politics of Race, Religion, and Education in Territorial Utah, 1850–1896

• In Event: Politics, Ideology, and the Creation of School Systems in the 19th Century

Abstract

Past historical studies on the origins of education in the Utah Territory omit the intersections between race and Mormon theocratic power. It is imperative to devote attention to the history of education and policy related to racially minoritized students because their stories have often been distorted or left out of the curriculum that informs educational researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and students alike. It is evident that Black, Chicana(o), and Indigenous children and youth engaged with, persisted despite, and navigated through schooling experiences and opportunities—or their absence—in the latter-half of the 19th century. Ultimately, it is essential to dispel any belief that the region encompassed by the former Utah Territory is somehow “unburdened by [its] past.”

Author

• Nathan Tanner, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign