Polygamy In The United StatesEdit
Polygamy in the United States has a long and controversial history that sits at the crossroads of religion, family life, and public policy. While the country fiercely defends individual liberty, it also seeks to uphold stable, legally recognized marriages and protect the welfare of children. In practice, polygamy is illegal in all states today, and the federal government has long treated it as a criminal matter. Yet the topic remains important because it illuminates how communities interpret marriage, religious belief, and the proper scope of government power in private life.
From plural marriage to public policy, the arc of polygamy in the United States is closely tied to religious movements that once flourished in the American West. In the 19th century, certain adherents of the Latter Day Saint movement pursued plural marriage as a religious practice, a stance that created intense political and legal conflict with the federal government. The federal response included acts like the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act, and later the Edmunds Act and the Edmunds-Tucker Act, which sought to dismantle polygamous communities and restrict political participation by those who practiced it. The Supreme Court weighed in on the broader issue in Reynolds v. United States, holding that religious duty could not excuse illegal acts, and thereby framing polygamy as a public policy matter rather than a protected religious practice. The mainstream church formally renounced the practice with the 1890 Manifesto issued by President Wilford Woodruff, which helped open the door to Utah’s path to statehood but did not erase decades of practice among splinter groups.
As the federal government shifted course, a conservative, pro-family current persisted in parts of the West. Although the official position of the central church moved away from plural marriage, several fundamentalist offshoots continued to uphold it in small, tightly knit communities. The most well-known of these groups is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), which operates in places such as the Utah-Arizona border region and has faced intense scrutiny, including child welfare intervention and legal action. These communities emphasize large, extended family networks, retained religious traditions, and a distinctive social order that distinguishes them from mainstream American family life.
Legal status and policy debates
Criminal illegality: Bigamy and polygamy are illegal in all U.S. states. Federal and state authorities have historically treated plural marriage as a criminal offense, especially when it involves exploitation, underage marriage, or coercion. The legal framework remains rooted in the balance between safeguarding civil rights and preventing abuse, while recognizing that adult private relationships should not automatically trigger government intervention absent harm or illegality.
Religious liberty vs. public policy: The Reynolds decision established that religious belief does not exempt individuals from criminal statutes. Proponents of modern polygamy often argue that consenting adults should be free to arrange their families as they see fit, within the bounds of law. Critics counter that polygamy, particularly in insular communities, can undermine the equality of spouses and the welfare of children, and that the state has a compelling interest in protecting the vulnerable from coercion.
Family stability and child welfare: A central conservative concern is that even if all parties are adults, the power dynamics in polygamous households can be complex and unequal. Critics highlight cases of coercive practices, unequal treatment of wives, and potential harm to children. Supporters reply that many families in nontraditional arrangements pursue stable, lawful lives and should not be stereotyped by isolated incidents. In either view, the state’s interest in safeguarding minors and ensuring informed consent remains a guiding principle in policy discussions.
Modern practice and enforcement: Today, public policy tends to focus on preventing harm and ensuring child protection while maintaining the rule of law. High-profile interventions—such as targeted law enforcement actions in polygamous communities—are often driven by concerns over underage marriage, abuse, or trafficking rather than mere existence of plural marriages among consenting adults. High-profile cases, including actions against FLDS communities and leadership, have framed the national conversation around polygamy’s legal and social implications. Contemporary discourse also distinguishes between polygamy and related arrangements such as polyamory, which generally concerns non-marital romantic relationships rather than sanctioned marriages.
Religious, historical, and cultural dimensions
Mainstream Mormon history and today: The Latter Day Saint movement began in the early 19th century in the American frontier. Plural marriage was publicly embraced by some leaders for several decades, but it was never universal among all members, and it became a point of legal and political conflict with the federal government. The 1890 Manifesto—issued by Wilford Woodruff—made cessation of the practice a condition of continued church recognition and statehood for Utah, and the central church today prohibits polygamy. Still, the history left a lasting imprint on American religious and legal life, and it continues to be studied as a case of how religious practice interacts with civil authority. See also Latter Day Saints and Mormonism.
Fundamentalist offshoots: A minority of adherents who split from the mainstream church continued to teach and practice plural marriage. The FLDS Church, among others, has drawn attention for large families and distinct community structures that operate outside the mainstream marriage system. These groups have been the focus of legal and social policy debates about child welfare, education, and the rights of spouses within religious communities. See also FLDS Church.
Public policy and cultural expectations: The broader American framework favors monogamous marriage as the default civil institution, with legal provisionsand social norms that reinforce this framework. The tension arises when individuals or communities pursue alternative family forms in ways that challenge prevailing norms or test the boundaries of the law. See also monogamy and polyamory.
Notable cases and developments
Reynolds v. United States (1879): The Supreme Court reaffirmed that religious duty does not excuse criminal conduct, establishing an important public policy precedent on how the state can regulate marriage practices that extend beyond religious doctrine. See also Reynolds v. United States.
1890 Manifesto and Utah statehood: The LDS Church’s formal renunciation of plural marriage in tandem with political negotiations surrounding Utah’s path to statehood illustrates how religious reform can align with federal policy to reshape social norms.
Brown v. Buhman (Utah, 2013): A case involving Utah’s polygamy statute and attempts to redefine how plural marriages intersect with criminal law at the state level, reflecting ongoing tensions between civil law and religious tradition. See also Brown v. Buhman.
2000s–2010s child welfare actions: Interventions in polygamous communities, including high-profile operations against FLDS institutions and leadership, highlight the ongoing state interest in protecting children and enforcing laws against coercion and abuse. See also child welfare.
Contemporary landscape
Legal status today: Polygamy remains illegal in the United States, and bigamy statutes are typically enforced to address coercive practices, exploitation, or abuse. The public policy conversation continues to explore how to balance religious liberty, personal autonomy, and the protection of vulnerable individuals.
Ongoing communities and public attention: Polygamous families persist in a few communities, primarily in the western United States, where religious, cultural, and historical factors sustain these practices. The broader American public often learns about these communities through media coverage and public policy debates, which emphasize issues of consent, welfare, and crime prevention rather than a wholesale endorsement or condemnation of private relationships.
Distinctions from other forms of nontraditional relationships: It is important to distinguish polygamy from polyamory and non-marital cohabitation. Polyamory generally refers to consensual romantic relationships involving multiple partners without a marriage arrangement, whereas polygamy concerns multiple spouses within a formal marriage framework. See also polyamory and marriage.
See also