Why did the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints end the practice of polygamy in 1890?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ended the practice of polygamy primarily due to intense legal and political pressure from the United States government, which viewed the practice as objectionable and sought to limit the church's political influence in the Utah Territory.1
Throughout the late 19th century, Congress passed several laws to suppress plural marriage, including the Morrill Anti-bigamy Act of 1862 and the Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887. The latter was particularly severe, as it disincorporated the church, authorized the seizure of church property, and allowed legal testimony against practitioners. Furthermore, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the government's authority to outlaw the practice in Reynolds v. United States (1879), rejecting claims that it was protected by the free exercise of religion.1
By 1890, the practice of polygamy had become a significant barrier to Utahβs path to statehood. To resolve this conflict, church president Wilford Woodruff issued a decree known as the Manifesto, which officially ceased the church's sanctioning of plural marriage, eventually leading to Utah being granted statehood in 1896.12