What Happened in History: Browse Historical Facts on Kudos 365

While the Manifesto officially ended new plural marriages, it did not affect the status of those already in practice. Many polygamists continued to live with their plural wives. Reportedly, Wilford Woodruff practiced plural marriage at the time. In 1904 the Church made polygamy a cause for excommunication. The Manifesto was a response to mounting anti-polygamy pressure from the United States Congress, which by 1890 had disincorporated the church, escheated its assets to the U.S. federal government, and imprisoned many prominent polygamist Mormons. The declaration was a significant step for the Mormon Church to gain statehood for Utah and to integrate into mainstream American society by officially ending the practice of polygamy.