With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

LDS Church details practice, history of polygamy

SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a document about plural marriage on its website Monday.

The LDS Church released a document detailing the history of plural marriage in the religion. The document did not mention Friday's ruling that a law's language prohibiting polygamous cohabitation in Utah as unconstitutional.

Since 1904, the Church has prohibited its members from practicing plural marriage.

Approximately half of Utah territory residents in 1857 experienced life in a polygamous household, according to the Church. By 1870, that number was reduced to 25 to 39 percent and it continued to decrease in the next 20 years....

Read entire article at KSL.com