Dancing with the devil: The making of the Mormon-Republican pact

The Mormon Church initially positioned itself in opposition to America's authority and demanded obedience from its members. Already outside the American mainstream, Mormons migrated to Mexico, but soon found themselves locked in a contest with the nation that they rejected. The Republican Party, organized to redress racial issues, also took aim at Mormonism. Party leaders denounced polygamy and the political control of the Mormon hierarchy and enacted measures to curtail the church's power. Church and state came together in a volatile clash.;Discarding the crusading zeal of the former generation, visionary Republican leaders and pragmatic churchmen crafted a mutually advantageous arrangement. Republicans saw the Mormons as the key to western votes. Mormons hoped for local autonomy and the preservation of church control. The two struggled to negotiate a viable compromise which eluded them until the contest over seating Utah Senator and Apostle Reed Smoot. The controversy over Senator Smoot highlights how the Mormon Church transformed itself from outlaw to insider. In resolving the Mormon question, the nation defined the limits of religious liberty. The crisis inaugurated a new era of religious participation in politics and political influence in ecclesiastical issues. Religious denominations learned the value of material wealth in their quest for heavenly and worldly goals and strengthened their political sway as they forged new alliances.;The Republican Party also changed and welcomed former adversaries into its ranks. With a politics of inclusion, the party added formerly outcast ethnics, immigrants, and religious groups to its winning coalition. Bartering its founding creed for a broader appeal, it traded its goal of social justice for one of social control. The Republican Party redefined itself, moving from a vehicle for radical reform to the embodiment of conservative stability.