What was a relatively common form of polygamy in the nineteenth century?

What was a relatively common form of polygamy in the nineteenth century?

• A. Polygamy among Mormons
• B. Polygamy among Native Americans
• C. Polygyny among White farmers
• D. Polyandry among immigrants

Answer: (A)

Polygamy in the nineteenth century most clearly refers to polygyny practiced by early Mormon communities. In the early church, plural marriages were taught and lived by a notable portion of members for several decades, creating extended kin networks and clearly identifiable family structures within Utah and surrounding areas. This practice was prominent enough to become a major public issue in American society, shaping social, legal, and gender dynamics of the era. It persisted until the church officially renounced it in 1890, after which the formal backing for plural marriage ended, though some families remained affected for years. Other groups did have marriages outside the typical one-man–one-woman pattern in certain contexts, but these were not as widespread or institutionally tied to a religious movement within the nineteenth-century United States as Mormon polygamy was.

Polygamy in the nineteenth century most clearly refers to polygyny practiced by early Mormon communities. In the early church, plural marriages were taught and lived by a notable portion of members for several decades, creating extended kin networks and clearly identifiable family structures within Utah and surrounding areas. This practice was prominent enough to become a major public issue in American society, shaping social, legal, and gender dynamics of the era. It persisted until the church officially renounced it in 1890, after which the formal backing for plural marriage ended, though some families remained affected for years.

Other groups did have marriages outside the typical one-man–one-woman pattern in certain contexts, but these were not as widespread or institutionally tied to a religious movement within the nineteenth-century United States as Mormon polygamy was.