Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act
Justin Smith Morrill (R–VT) on April 9, 1862 on July 1, 1862 |
Mormonism and polygamy |
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The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act (
The act targeted the
The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act was amended in 1882 by the Edmunds Act, and then again in 1887 by the Edmunds–Tucker Act.
Enforcement
Enforcement of these acts started in July 1887. The issue went to the Supreme Court in the case Late Corp. of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. United States that upheld the Edmunds–Tucker Act on May 19, 1890. Among other things, the act disincorporated the LDS Church. Within five months, the LDS Church officially discontinued the practice of plural marriage with the 1890 Manifesto. On October 25, 1893, a congressional resolution authorized the release of assets seized from the LDS Church because, "said church has discontinued the practice of polygamy and no longer encourages or gives countenance to any manner of practices in violation of law, or contrary to good morals or public policy."[3]
Effect
The enforcement of the acts led to prosecution of many Latter-day Saints in Utah Territory. Following the passage of the Edmunds Act, bigamy or plural marriage was a crime punishable by 6 months in prison and a fine of $300.[4] Many Latter-day Saints engaged in plural marriage were forced into hiding to avoid prosecution.[4]
In 1890, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement known as the 1890 Manifesto. The Manifesto declared that the Church would no longer teach the practice of plural marriage, and that no members would be allowed to enter into new plural marriages.[5]
See also
- Mormon War (1838)(1838 Missouri)
- Illinois Mormon War(1844–1845)
- Mormon Exodus(1846–1857)
- Utah War (1857–1858)
- Poland Act (1874)
- Reynolds v. United States (1879)
- LDS Church v. United States(1890)
- 1890 Manifesto
- Smoot Hearings(1903–1907)
- Second Manifesto (1904)
- Timeline of civil marriage in the United States
- Justin Smith Morrill
- George Reynolds
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and politics in the United States
References
- ^ Statutes at Large, 37th Congress, 2nd Session, page 501. A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: US Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875. The Library of Congress. Accessed 18 May 2006.
- ^ ISBN 0-252-06980-3,
Having signed the Morrill Act, Lincoln reportedly compared the Mormon Church to a log he had encountered as a farmer that was "too hard to split, too wet to burn and too heavy to move, so we plow around it. That's what I intend to do with the Mormons. You go back and tell Brigham Young that if he will let me alone, I will let him alone."
- ^ Jt. Res 11., 53d Cong., 1st Sess., 28 Stat. 980
- ^ a b "The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Official Declaration 1". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
External links
- "37th U.S. Congressional Bill ~ H.R. 391". A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875. The Library of Congress. April 29, 1862.
- "37th U.S. Congressional Bill ~ H.R. 391". A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875. The Library of Congress. May 9, 1862.
- "37th U.S. Congressional Bill ~ H.R. 391". A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875. The Library of Congress. June 17, 1862.