Topic > Polygamy and Constitutional Conflict in Nineteenth-Century America

Since the beginning of modern American history, scholars have continued to question whether politics, economics, morality, or religious bigotry motivated the attack of nineteenth century to the Mormon Church. Overall it seems to point to a single conclusion; all of these sects were motivated by an anti-Mormonism movement. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Hocker and Wilmot's second chapter, they discuss the common misconception of negative views of conflict: “Anger is the only emotion in conflict interaction. .. the primary emotion associated with conflict is anger or hostility. Instead, many emotions accompany conflict…Yet people often experience loneliness, sadness, anxiety, disappointment, and resentment, to name just a few other feelings.” This feeling of disappointment and sadness is a recurring theme in the conflict over Mormon polygamy in Utah. At the most basic level, moral outrage over the practice of polygamy lies at the root. Most nineteenth-century Americans, especially Protestants, believed that plural marriage undermined the foundations of American Christian civilization. Protestant sentimental women writers began the attack on Mormonism while raising the consciousness of American society. These writers conditioned the popular mind to link polygamy with slavery and polygamous patriarchs with Southern slaveholders. Their views led to republican denunciation of slavery and polygamy as relics of barbarism. Influenced by novelists and their supporters, until the late 1880s most Americans perceived Mormon women as helpless slaves, incapable of freeing themselves from the bondage of horny patriarchs. Furthermore, they believed that the Mormon patriarchs held the entire society in bondage, in part by keeping the population ignorant through opposition to public education. Acting on these beliefs, politicians like George Edmunds launched a legal attack. Congress passed a series of laws; courts began to incarcerate polygamous men. This still happens today and is indeed what ultimately happened to Tom Green; the main character and Mormon fundamentalist in the documentary One Man, Three Wives and Twenty Nine Children. Historically, particularly in the 1880s, anti-Mormons became convinced that women supported the system. Congress then turned against women by drafting the Edmunds-Tucker Act. This law disenfranchised Utah women, disinherited their children, and forced them to testify against their husbands. Attacking the economic power of the Mormon Church and the alleged ignorance of the people of Utah, the act also confiscated Church property for the benefit of territorial schools. With the notable exception of the role played by women writers, historians know much of the basic history. George Edmunds and his colleagues turned to their understanding of state laws to create “a national law of religion, marriage, and economic structure…based on the shared wisdom of the states.” This legislation demolished the bonds between faith, marriage, and property that had protected polygamous families. In essence, Congress and the Supreme Court revised American constitutional law by drawing “on state law to create a national vision, imposing on Utah many of the same rules and structures they believed ensured the flourishing of civilization and Christianity in their home states.” origin.” This conflict still resonates today in Utah's Mormon communities. The issue of negative opinions about..