Grassroots power: the Utah Eagle Forum, 1972-2009

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Title Grassroots power: the Utah Eagle Forum, 1972-2009
Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Humanities
Department History
Author Newport, Melanie Diane
Date 2009-03-12
Description How and why has a group of conservative housewives become the most powerful lobbying group in one of the most populous states in the Mountain West? Since its founding in 1972, the Eagle Forum has risen to prominence as a dominant force in Utah state politics. This formidable conservative grassroots social movement shaped legislation, influenced elections, and advocated an agenda that is unwavering in its support of families, Christianity and small government. The Utah Eagle Forum's power is unparalleled by other state chapters of the organization. This thesis explores the efforts of housewife-activists to advance conservative agendas at local and state levels of government in Utah. In a complex milieu of Mormonism, Western libertarianism, changing gender roles and shifting national politics, the Utah Eagle Forum has assumed the role of moral "watchdog" over state politics. From its beginnings as a single issue organization opposed to the ERA, to its efforts to form coalitions empowering housewives with a voice in politics, its cultivation of a phone tree an efficient statewide mobilization tool and a notorious reputation for vigilant legislative lobbying, the Utah Eagle Forum is an example of the possibilities for right wing women's activism in a conservative political environment. This paper dramatically expands historians' understanding of the Eagle Forum at the local level as it explores the roles and activities of conservative women in twentieth-century American social movements.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Utah politics; Extremism; Right-wing activism
Dissertation Institution University of Utah
Dissertation Name MA
Language eng
Relation is Version of Digital reproduction of "Grassroots power: the Utah Eagle Forum, 1972-2009" J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections JS46.5 2009 .N48
Rights Management ©Melanie Diane Newport
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 3,537,440 bytes
Identifier us-etd2,108322
Source Original: University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections
Conversion Specifications Original scanned on Epson G30000 as 400 dpi to pdf using ABBYY FineReader 9.0 Professional Edition.
ARK ark:/87278/s6bk1szx
Setname ir_etd
ID 193397
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6bk1szx
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