Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Mormonism reframed -- Brigham Young's romance with American higher education, 1870-1877 -- The death of Mormon separatism in American universities, 1877-1896 -- Evolution and its discontents, 1896-1920 -- Anti-intellectualism rejected and reborn, 1920-1940 -- Conclusion: Mormonism uncharted.

"The book situates American universities as a unique egalitarian cultural and institutional space for Mormons in nineteenth-century American society. They were places where Mormons could experience a personally transformative sense of freedom and dignity, equip themselves for taking advantageous paths in American society, and explore provisional reconciliations of religious and scientific perspectives. Contributing to an understanding of the evolution of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints in the context of American history, Simpson chronicles a Mormon intellectual pilgrimage made by hundreds of youth to the elite universities of the United States"-- Provided by publisher.

Description based on print version record.