The Mormon Religion

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In the early days of the Mormon religion polygamy was considered a standard practice. Polygamy in the Mormon religion consisted of the men in the religion having more than one wife, sometimes 5 or more. It was this practice that set Mormons apart from other religions and why they first sought refuge in Salt Lake City in order to escape the persecution of non Mormons. The practice of polygamy is also what kept the Territory of Utah from becoming a state. Many with in the Mormon religion felt that polygamy should be protected by the First Amendment which allows freedom of religion. Lawmakers felt differently however and in 1862 the practice of polygamy was declared illegal by the United States government. The Mormon Church took their fight to have polygamy protected under the First Amendment all the way to the Supreme Court which ruled against them in 1879.

In 1890 the President of the Mormon Church spoke out against polygamy saying that god had spoken to him and told him that the Mormon religion must abide by the laws of the United States. This ended the Mormon religions practice of polygamy and in 1896 Utah became the 45th stated admitted into the union. It was around this time that Great Salt Lake City was renamed Salt Lake City.

Next Page: The Early 1900's

Related Salt Lake City History Articles

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• Introduction to Salt Lake City History
• Settlers
• The Early Years
• Railroad
• The Mormon Religion
• The Early 1900's
• The Late 1900's
• Recent Years