24 September 2016
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LDS founder Joseph Smith is alleged to have married more than 30 wives
The LDS Church officially renounced polygamy on 24 September 1890
On this day in history, 1890: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounces polygamy.
Issued by church president Wilford Woodruff, the ‘1890 Manifesto’ (also known as the 'Woodruff Manifesto' or the 'Anti-polygamy Manifesto') is a statement which officially advised against any future plural marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
The Manifesto was a response to mounting anti-polygamy pressure from the United States Congress.
The Manifesto was a dramatic turning point in the history of the LDS Church. It advised against church members from entering into any marriage prohibited by the law of the land, and made it possible for Utah to become a US state. Utah applied for statehood in 1895, and it was granted on 4 January 1896.
The Manifesto was canonized in the LDS Church standard works as Official Declaration 1 and is considered by mainstream Mormons to have been prompted by divine revelation, in which Woodruff was shown that the church would be thrown into turmoil if they did not comply with it.
Pictured: Founder of the Latter Day Saint movement Joseph Smith is alleged to have married more than 30 wives before his death and to have taught the doctrine to his close associates. He denied the practice publicly, as did his wife Emma Smith and son Joseph Smith III.
