Confessions of a Revisionist Historian: David L. Bigler on the Mormons and the West (Utah, the Mormons, and the West) by David L. Bigler

by David L. Bigler

The contrast between Utah’s Native and frontier cultures and its religious roots make the state’s history contested ground. In this collection of his short works, David L. Bigler accepts a historian’s obligation be as strictly honest and as balanced as possible. His crisp, engaging narratives seek to recreate an authentic image of the past that help us comprehend the hopes and aims of all who lived it.
 
Confessionsof a Revisionist Historian covers the issues and events Bigler considers central to understanding Utah’s colorful history: Millennialism, the march of the Mormon Battalion, the California Gold Rush, the Mormon Kingdom of God, Brigham Young’s Indian policy and the Fort Limhi mission to Oregon Territory, the 1856 Reformation and the origins of the Utah War of 1857, and the conflict’s most controversial acts of violence, the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the Aiken party murders. His analysis incorporates sketches and close studies of overlooked but significant personalities such as Garland Hurt, Nephi Johnson, Benjamin Franklin Cummings, Lewis W. Shurtliff, Benjamin Franklin Ficklin, and John Hawley, plus celebrated and colorful Danites such as Bill Hickman and Porter Rockwell, and tributes to friends and colleagues Harold “Hal” Schindler and Jerald and Sandra Tanner.
 
In his characteristically good-humored and gentle way, Confessions of a Revisionist Historian includes eighteen articles, essays, presentations, tributes, and a love story that showcase what fellow historian Polly Aird called Mr. Bigler’s “legacy of path-breaking research, honesty, and historical integrity.” This work stands as an enduring tribute to a gifted chronicler’s ability to examine the facts, step outside the box of the venerated interpretation, and evaluate the evidence in a new way, offering original insights into the significant human events that define today’s American West.

Genres: Religion

Hardcover

First published July 1, 2015

Reviews

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bigler has been re-evaluating the history of the church during the Utah War and beyond. This period (1857ish) is fraught with conflict between Mormons and the outside world. Why were there four Mormon wars during the early years of the church? Why was there so much violent conflict between Mormons and US Government, the Indians, and all of their neighbors? This series of essays explores various events during this period and explores crucial context for understanding the conflicts.

Bigler has challenged long-accepted narratives. For example, the first official stories about Mountain Meadows blamed the incident on Indians. As parties threatened to come forward, the story changed to mostly Indians, with a few extremist Mormons. As history has marched along, we discover that the massacre was perpetrated by nearly all available Mormon men in the area, some dressed as Indians to massacre men, women and children. Bigler views Brigham Young's direct involvement as irrelevant; BY and George A. Smith set the tone for the massacre with extremist preaching, doctrines like blood atonement and the Mormon Reformation, not to mention attempted incitement of natives with promises of free livestock. Bigler maintains that we can't learn from history if we refuse to learn the truth about history. And that history should force us to reflect on the tone taken by leaders now, whether political or religious, because inflammatory words by leaders bear fruit in their followers.

I had not previously read about the Aiken party (turns out Porter Rockwell is not great at his job as a destroying angel), nor did I have some of the Mountain Meadows Massacre context, despite reading nearly every available book on the subject.

This is a very worthwhile read for those interested in Mormon history and are unafraid to confront reality.

[Polly Aird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote the appreciation in the front of the book (essentially the foreword) because Bigler has such a brave approach to writing the history of Mormonism's most controversial period once they got to Utah. The 1850s were a fanatical period among the Mormons, and the results were not pretty. Bigler takes a biblical approach to his writing: "Be not afraid," and in that he isn't. I highly recommend this book for both his studies of the 1850s and his approach to looking at history.