Todd, Mariah (Utah Valley University)
Faculty Advisor: Nigro, Jenna (Utah Valley University, History); Winans, Adrienne (Utah Valley University, History); McPherson, Kate (Utah Valley University, Honors/English)
This project is focused on anti-nuclear protests that took place in Utah surrounding the MX Missile System in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This anti-nuclear activism was especially interesting due to the diverse groups of people who were involved. Environmentalists, Native Americans, socialists, and various religious organizations, among others, all became involved in resisting the MX Missile in Utah. The purpose of this project is to analyze the ways in which these activists managed to be successful and come together behind a common cause. This will largely look at the methods or tactics employed by these activists, how religious organizations played a role, and how the political landscape of Utah allowed for or encouraged such activism to take root and become successful. These issues will be studied through analysis of primary source records from numerous activists who were directly involved in the protests. This research will showcase how activists used different methods to unify disparate groups against the MX Missile, which may include tactics such as localizing politics, garnering national attention, remaining nonpartisan, and seeking support from religious groups. This project was significant for both shedding light on an event that has been largely neglected in the field of anti-nuclear history and for contributing to the effort to localize nuclear history so as to better understand the intricacies of these events and ideas.