'A great moral heritage': The creation of a Mormon collective identity

The members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly referred to as Mormons, function in the United States in a special way. Their collective identity seems to rely on a paradox. The Mormons appear to be on the margins of American society, operating as outsiders, while at the same time they exemplify model American citizens, and their religion seems utterly dependent on its American origins. By analyzing the environment in which Joseph Smith Jr. founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how the Mormon identity was formed, I hope to explain how important this paradox was to the success of the Church.