Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882

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The Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882 was a U.S. federal law that strengthened the criminalization of polygamy, particularly targeting members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by imposing harsher penalties and restricting the civil rights of offenders.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882 canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal law ⓘ
anti-polygamy law ⓘ
affectedInstitution The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ⓘ
aimedTo reduce political power of polygamists in Utah Territory ⓘ
strengthen enforcement of existing anti-polygamy laws ⓘ
appliedTo men practicing polygamy ⓘ
women practicing polygamy ⓘ
appliesTo Utah Territory ⓘ
other U.S. territories ⓘ
branchOfGovernment legislative branch of the United States ⓘ
constitutionalBasisClaimed federal power over territories ⓘ
country United States ⓘ
createdBody Utah Commission ⓘ
criminalized polygamy as a felony ⓘ
unlawful cohabitation as a misdemeanor ⓘ
dateEnacted 1882-03-22 ⓘ
effect disenfranchised many Latter-day Saint men and women practicing or suspected of polygamy ⓘ
increased prosecutions of polygamists in Utah Territory ⓘ
enforcementMechanism federal prosecution in territorial courts ⓘ
followedBy Edmunds–Tucker Act of 1887 ⓘ
historicalContext part of the federal campaign against Mormon polygamy in the late 19th century ⓘ
jurisdiction United States federal government ⓘ
legalArea civil rights restrictions ⓘ
criminal law ⓘ
marriage law ⓘ
legalStandard allowed conviction for unlawful cohabitation without proving multiple marriages ⓘ
legislativeBody United States Congress ⓘ
longTermImpact contributed to LDS Church’s eventual official abandonment of plural marriage in 1890 ⓘ
motivatedBy widespread national opposition to Mormon polygamy ⓘ
namedAfter George F. Edmunds ⓘ
penaltyIncludes fines ⓘ
imprisonment ⓘ
precededBy Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act of 1862 ⓘ
primarilyAffectedGroup members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ⓘ
primaryTarget polygamy ⓘ
unlawful cohabitation ⓘ
relatedTo Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act of 1862 ⓘ
restrictedRight right to hold public office for polygamists ⓘ
right to serve on juries for polygamists ⓘ
right to vote for polygamists ⓘ
signedBy Chester A. Arthur ⓘ
sponsor George F. Edmunds ⓘ
status superseded in part by later legislation ⓘ
timePeriod Gilded Age ⓘ
UtahCommissionRole oversight of elections in Utah Territory ⓘ
yearEnacted 1882 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Edmunds Act → fullName → Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882 ⓘ