The Practice Of Polygamy In America

There are not very many people that practice polygamy and those that don’t practice polygamy do not support it. Polygamist does not follows the norms in society nor do they practice traditional marriage. Polygamy has been documented in the bible, but men like Abraham, or Jacob had two or more wives. Often those that practice this form of marriage are often religious and believe that they will ascend to a higher place after death by reproduction and teaching their children

For men, they help each other with bringing food and money home. As said “Polygyny is not so much about sex as it is about hoarding the productive and reproductive labor” (2006, p. 3). It is about decreasing the jurisdiction of a man or woman. The possible negative outcomes I see in polygamy is the possibilities of men and women feeling the need to be in competition of being the favorite wife or husband, and the fact of sharing partners. As stated in the videos and the article about polygamy, I agree with the benefits of polygamy as the positive outcomes. Having more than one wife or husband reduces the work or obligations needed to be provided at home. Though they are many positive factors of polygamy, I personally do not agree with the term. If I were married, I would not like to share my

Polygyny is a form of marriage that one man marries multiple women. Apparently, there are two different types of polygynous marriages Sororal polygyny and Non-sororal polygyny. When the wives are invariably sisters it is know as Sororal polygyny marriage and

Marriage is a social institution that is practiced globally. Traditionally marriages are known to occur between one man and one woman. However, cultural values and time have reshaped and birthed new types of marriages. Polygamy is a type of marriage that is often practiced around the world specifically in Asia, Middle East, and Africa. Polyamorous marriages have been in existence for centuries. Polygamy is classified into two categories, polygyny, and polyandry. Polygyny is the most popular type of polygamy, in this type of polygamous marriage, a man is married to multiple women. On the other hand, polyandry which is the least familiar type of polygamy is where a woman is married to multiple husbands. The intolerance of Mormons in the United States has led to the outlawing of polyamorous marriages. The Morrill Anti Bigamy law of 1862 outlawed the practice of polygamy in the United States. Like many other laws, this law can be overturned. In fact, it should be reversed because illegalizing polygamy is unethical. Polygamy should be legalized because it is unconstitutional for it to be illegal, same-sex marriages and interracial marriages are legal, therefore so should polyamorous marriages. In addition, legalizing polygamy would prevent immigrant families who practice polygamy from being separated and it would also strengthen the feminist movement.

The state of Utah also relies heavily on Utah Const. art. III, § 1, in Utah’s Constitution stating “First: -- Perfect toleration of religious sentiment is guaranteed. No inhabitant of this State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship; but polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited”, and Utah’s anti-polygamy statute, Utah Code Ann. § 76-7-101(1)(2)(3) stating “(1) A person is guilty of bigamy when, knowing he has a husband or wife or knowing the other person has a husband or wife, the person purports to marry another person or cohabits with another person, (2) Bigamy is a felony of the third degree, and (3) It shall be a defense to bigamy that the accused reasonably believed he and the

Polygamy is the case in which a man or a woman has multiple spouses. One branch of polygamy is termed “polygyny”, which is when “one man is married to several wives” (Zeitzen 3).

In this age of freedom and personal choice, where previously banned and frowned up lifestyles are accepted, polygamy should become a lifestyle choice. This is the opinion of people who live this lifestyle. “Loving them is simple. It’s one of those things you do unconsciously…and your way of being that you never question it.”(Brown 27). The sister wives must have respect for the people

The Mormons understood that they needed to take a proactive approach in discovering new members, especially in the beginning of their movement. Mormons also had traveling missionaries to spread their message and recruit new members and followers. A final reason that the Mormon religion was able to flourish for years after its inception was its willingness to change their views on polygamy after being pressured by the American public (Scott). The Mormon Church eventually decided they would no longer endorse polygamy. Today, Mormonism is a growing world religion, while there are no Oneida Perfectionists left today and only a handful of practicing Shaker women remain in parts of New England. There are over twelve million practicing Mormons worldwide,

The institution of marriage in Canada has evolved significantly over the years in Canada. Being a very old institution, older than the actual country of Canada, the definition cited in the context of a Canadian courtroom is one that stems from England. In 1866 Lord Penzance articulated that “marriage… may… be defined as the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others”, a definition that is unapologetically Christian (Bala, 2009). By 2005, Canada has altered its legal view of marriage to reflect it instead as an acceptance of same-sex marriage. With this progression, naturally, there came a small cry from a minority population of polygamists using this groundbreaking alteration of one of the oldest interpretations

Polygamy is often not a choice women or men have to participate in. They are often forced to participate against their will. Women will be punished if they do not obey what their husband has them do. Also, they will be punished if they refuse to get married to the man chosen for them.

The Morrill Anti- Polygamy Act would outlaw polygamy, yet was not heavily prosecuted because the jury would not convict their own. One of the things that lead up to Latter Day Saints vs United States court case was Reynolds vs the United States. Reynolds was instructed by the Church to be a test case in order to maintain polygamy through the court system. The case was meant to push first amendment rights to protect the Mormon religion and polygamy. The Mormon Church thought that by trying this case, the case would prove that there is a separation of church and state; this would allow them to keep polygamy. The courts argued that polygamy would undermine the entire government system. The ground to this is that America was built on the institute

The Supreme Court also felt that the donation spirit was also compromised by using it for polygamy. The Church of the Latter-Day Saints had to drop polygamy in order to maintain the land or be continually rejected from the society the Church of the Latter Day Saints wanted to join. The reason this case ended polygamy was because the church would lose the donated lands they practiced their religion on. The loss of these lands would mean the end of the Church of the Latter Day Saint community because the church would be left without a place to practice. One of the ways the Church of the Latter Day Saints would be able to keep land to practice on was to end polygamy, which would end the spread of polygamy. This Supreme Court ruling was based on

The rates of polygyny have decreased because more countries have become more ‘westernized’. Polygyny is more prevalent than polyandry because in some asian/african countries men would like to have more than one wife especially if they are wealthy to help and support their children etc… Pros of Polygyny is that it provides more support and gives men a freedom of choice. Also could ensure financial stability. Cons include jealousy and it could lead to abuse.Pros of Polyandry include financial stability and more support. Cons could include jealousy and lack of attention among

A woman pushes as hard as she can for the last time. “It’s a baby girl!” the man announces, as the new mother hangs her head in sight of the hardships her baby, Elizabeth, will face. Miles away in a hospital, another woman gives birth to a healthy baby girl, Marley. As she sees her baby for the first time, she smiles knowing all the great adventures this baby will experience in her life. The polygamous mom takes the little girl home to her family, a family where she has more than one mother and many brothers and sisters. As she grows up she lives her life trying to be “proper” and “sweet” in the eyes of the prophet. Somewhere far away, Marley is outside playing with her mother and learning how to be a kid. At the age of fourteen, young girls like Marley are innocent and should be going on dates, having fun with friends, and living their life, but for a fourteen year old Elizabeth, she is married to a man twice her age to be his second wife. As she begins her life with her husband, she sees the jealousy of the first wife and the neglect she feels by her presence. Shortly after, the young girl is replaced by another new wife after having a child. Ever since the day she was born, she had no control over these stages happening. Her fate was determined from time of birth and is determined by men until the day she dies. Her fate will be ruled by the religion of Polygamy.

In industrialized societies, it is something that has been made illegal, and is considered deviant. When most people think of polygamy they think of polygyny, the marriage of one man with multiple wives, and endless children. Here in the United States the most common occurrence of polygamy was in the 1800s, through the Mormon religion, and more specifically the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter-Day Saints. Through the reading of the Bible, the leader of the Latter-Day Saints church, Joseph Smith, had revelations that encouraged him take a second wife as many of the members of the Old Testament had done. The rest of the United States reacted negatively to polygamy and Congress passed several laws prohibited polygamy. However, Mormons continued to practice polygamy despite these laws because they believed it was within their right to do so based on the Bill of Rights which protected freedom of religion (Embry 2016).