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Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890 by between 20 and 30 percent of Latter-day Saint families.
The 1890 Manifesto (also known as the Woodruff Manifesto, the Anti-polygamy Manifesto, or simply "the Manifesto") is a statement which officially advised against any future plural marriage in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Possibly as early as the 1830s, followers of the Latter Day Saint movement (also known as Mormonism), were practicing the doctrine of polygamy or "plural marriage". After the death of church founder Joseph Smith, the doctrine was officially announced in Utah Territory in 1852 by Mormon leader Brigham Young.
Outside of the church, Mormon women were seen as weak and oppressed by their husbands and the men of the church. The political activism in support of polygamy of Mormon women was unexpected as they had been portrayed as powerless. [16] [17]: xii–xvi Despite a Republican-dominated Congress, the Cullom Bill failed in the Senate in 1870.
Likewise, when the "Mormon Question", polygamy, first appeared in national news, there was consistent denial of the practice of polygamy by Mormon publicists. [7] Years later, in 1862, an anti-polygamy act was intended to "punish and prevent the Practice of Polygamy."
Reynolds had argued that as a Mormon, it was his religious duty as a male member of the church to practice polygamy if possible. The Court recognized that under the First Amendment, the Congress cannot pass a law that prohibits the free exercise of religion. But it held that the law prohibiting bigamy did not meet that standard.
The rest of the world got another strange and fascinating glimpse into the secret lives of Warren Jeffs' sect of polygamist Mormons this week.
The Edmunds Anti-polygamy Act took further action against polygamy and members of the LDS Church. [16] It made polygamy a felony and deemed bigamous cohabitation a misdemeanor. As a result of the bill, at least 1,300 Mormons were found guilty and imprisoned. [17]