The 1890 Manifesto, sometimes simply called The Manifesto, was a historical statement which officially renounced the practice of polygamy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church; see also "Mormon"). Signed on by LDS President Wilford Woodruff in September of 1890, the Manifesto was a dramatic turning point in LDS Church history. Plural marriage is a sort of polygamy (more specifically a form of polygyny) formerly practiced by some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the Churchs 19th century founding days and currently practiced by some of the smaller mormon sects. ... The Salt Lake City temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... The term Mormon is a colloquial name referring to Latter Day Saints, derived in the 1830s from the Book of Mormon, one of their scriptures, whose purported Native American author was named Mormon. ... In Mormonism, the President of the Church is the head of a Latter Day Saint denomination or church. ... Wilford Woodruff (March 1, 1807–September 2, 1898) was the fourth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from 1889 until his death. ... 1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is shared by the larger Latter Day Saint movement, which originated in upstate New York under the leadership of Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

The Manifesto applied non-retroactively. Therefore, Latter-day Saints already polygamously married were "grandfathered in," but the Church was to officially sanction no further polygamist marriages. In the United States, a grandfather clause is an exception which allows something pre-existing to remain as it is, despite a change to the contrary in the rules applied to newer situations. ...

The Manifesto was written in response to the anti-polygamy policies of the US Federal Government, and most especially the Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887. This law disincorporated the LDS Church and allowed the federal government to freeze all of its assets. The US Supreme Court upheld property seizure in The Late Corporation of the Mormon Church v. United States on May 19, 1890. By September, federal officials were preparing to seize the LDS temples and US Congress had debated whether to extend the 1882 Edmunds Act so that all Mormons would be disenfranchised, not just the polygamists. The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1789 by a constitutional convention, sets down the basic framework of American government in its seven articles. ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... Seal of the Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest federal court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States to interpret the Constitution of the United States and decide... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Nauvoo Illinois Temple, dedicated in 2002, is one of the newest LDS temples. ... Seal of the Congress. ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Through the month of September Wilford Woodruff spoke to Latter-day Saint congregations in Utah and California about the utility of abandoning the practice. The night of September 23 is when Woodruff claimed he received revelation that the LDS Church should abandon practice of polygamy. Woodruff announced the Manifesto on September 25 and acted quickly to publish it in the Deseret News, even though eight members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were outside of Salt Lake City at the time. During the 60th semi-annual LDS General Conference on October 6, 1890, the Manifesto was formally sustained by church membership. State nickname: Beehive State Other U.S. States Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years). ... The Deseret Morning News is a newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Utahs oldest continually published daily newspaper. ... In Mormonism, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Quorum of the Twelve, the Council of the Twelve, or the Twelve) is one of the governing bodies of the church hierarchy in many Latter Day Saint denominations, members of which are considered to be Apostles and special... Aerial view of Temple Square of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. ... In Mormonism, General Conferences are church-wide meetings of individual Latter Day Saint denominations. ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in Leap years). ... 1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Within six years of the announcement, Utah became a state and anti-Mormon federal persecution subsided. However, Congress still refused to seat later polygamist representatives-elect. Note: This article is being re-written - please see talk page for planned outline and to suggest improvements. ...

LDS historian D. Michael Quinn has interpreted the Manifesto's timing as not just politically expedient, but also necessary because several LDS Apostles opposed the change even in the face of impending calamity for the LDS Church. Quinn also documents that some Apostles covertly sanctioned scores of additional polygamist marriages. This practice was especially prevalent in Mexico and Canada because of an erroneous belief that polygamy was legal in these places. Rumors of post-Manifesto marriages surfaced, causing LDS President Joseph F. Smith to issue a "Second Manifesto" in 1904. This Manifesto threatened excommunication for Latter-day Saints who continued to support polygamy. Apostles John W. Taylor and Matthias F. Cowley were each excommunicated for "disharmony" in 1906, and polygamy continues to be an excommunicable offense in the LDS Church. D. Michael Quinn (born in 1944) is a Latter Day Saint scholar and revisionist historian. ... Joseph F. Smith served as LDS President from October 17, 1901 to November 19, 1918. ... 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... John Whittaker Taylor (May 15, 1858–October 10, 1916) was the son of John Taylor (the third President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and Sophia Whittaker. ... Matthias Foss Cowley (1858-1940) (commonly known as Matthias F. Cowley) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1897 until his death in 1940. ... 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

The expulsion of polygamists from the LDS Church gave rise to groups like the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who do not regard the 1890 Manifesto as true revelation. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement, and it is Americas largest polygamous group. ...

Reference

• Quinn, D. Michael (1997). The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. ISBN 1-56085-060-4

External links

• The Manifesto of 1890 — article from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism
• Plural Marriages After The 1890 Manifesto — essay by Quinn