Polygamy in the USA: Beyond "Big Love" Quiz

Answer: polygyny

Polygamy is usually used interchangeably with polygyny, even though polygamy has a much broader meaning. Polyamory is the involvement in more than one relationship, although the parties involved do not have to be married. Polyandry is the practice of a wife having more than one husband, a situation found even less commonly than polygyny. Polydactyl means having more than the usual number of fingers or toes and really has nothing to do with polygamy at all.

Answer: Brigham Young

Brigham Young became president of the LDS Church in 1844 after the death of its founder, Joseph Smith. He led the Mormon pioneers from Nauvoo, Illinois to Utah, where they believed they would better be able to freely practice their religion, including polygamy.

He was also named the first governor of Utah Territory. He built several large houses to shelter his numerous wives and children, two of which, the Beehive House and the Lion House, can still be seen in downtown Salt Lake City today.

Answer: Utah

Utah is home to the majority of modern polygamous sects, most of them unofficial offshoots of the LDS Church.

Answer: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Although many people still associate the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church) with polygamy due to its practice in the Church's early history, the LDS Church ceased to practice plural marriage at the end of the nineteenth century with the issuance of "The Manifesto," which officially declared the end of polygamy in the Church.

Despite their similar names, the LDS Church should not be confused with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS Church), a splinter group of the LDS Church centered in Hildale, Utah, Colorado City, Arizona, and, more recently, Eldorado, Texas.

The FLDS church sprang from a movement in the 1930s, led by a group of excommunicated LDS members who strongly believed polygamy should still be practiced. Since that time, there has been no other affiliation between the two churches.

The other two groups are also practitioners of polygamy.

Answer: 1890

While "The Manifesto" offically acknowleged that the LDS Church would no longer sanction new polygamous marriages, it did not dissolve previous polygamous unions. It also paved the way for Utah's statehood, which was granted in 1896, just six years after "The Manifesto" was issued.

A "Second Manifesto" was later issued by President Joseph F. Smith in 1904 in response to a small number of leaders still performing plural marriages, mostly in Mexico and Canada. This effectively ended the practice of polygamy in the LDS Church.

Answer: Edmunds-Tucker Act

While all of these acts were designed to outlaw polygamy and put pressure on the LDS Church to end the practice, the Edmunds-Tucker Act was by far the most severe, threatening the existence of the Church itself. The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act, signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1862, made polygamy punishable by law, but was difficult to enforce due to distance and lack of funding.

The Poland Act (1874) removed polygamous Mormons from governmental and territorial positions, turning control of Utah Territory over to the federal government.

The Edmunds Act (1882) made polygamy a felony and denied polygamists the right to vote or hold office.

Answer: Libertarian

According to the Libertarian Party platform, the government should stay out of personal relationships, and marriages of any kind, including plural marriage, should be individual contracts free of governmental regulation or interference.

Answer: Ron and Dan Lafferty

"Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith" by Jon Krakauer tells the story of Ron and Dan Lafferty as well as delves into the history and tenets of polygamy. The Laffertys were brothers who were excommunicated from the LDS Church and formed their own independent polygamous group.

They claim that God told them to kill their sister-in-law, who opposed polygamy, and her infant daughter in 1984. They were convicted of the murders in 1985. Dan was sentenced to life in prison, while Ron was given the death penalty.

Answer: Ervil LeBaron

Ervil LeBaron founded the Church of the Lamb of God in 1972. He immediately set out to exterminate those who he viewed as his rivals, including his own brother. In 1977, he was responsible for ordering the murder of Rulon Allred, head of another polygamous group, the Apostolic United Brethren.

The murder itself was carried out by one of his wives and another female follower. He was convicted of the murder in 1980, and while in prison is believed to have ordered the killing of several other people.

He died in prison in 1981.

Answer: Warren Jeffs

Warren Jeffs, the leader of the FLDS Church, was charged with rape as an accomplice in 2006 for marrying a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin. He went into hiding and was named to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. When he was finally arrested during a routine traffic stop in Nevada, he was found to be in possession of several wigs, sunglasses, computers, cell phones, and an unusually large amount of cash. Jeffs was found guilty of being an accomplice to rape in September, 2007 and faces several other charges both in Utah and Arizona.