Why Fundamentalist Mormon Groups Kept Practicing Polygamy After 1890

When the mainstream LDS Church abandoned polygamy, splinter groups rejected the decision and built separate communities to preserve what they saw as sacred doctrine.

By Garret Merkley · Explainer · Jun 8, 2026

Branched from Why the U.S. Federal Government Targeted Early Mormon Political Authority

Quick take

The 1890 Manifesto officially ended polygamy in the mainstream LDS Church to avoid federal persecution, but fundamentalist splinters saw it as a betrayal of core teaching.
Breakaway groups believed polygamy was divinely commanded and eternal—not something church leaders could simply rescind for political convenience.
These fundamentalists formed isolated communities and underground networks to practice polygamy openly or in secret, creating a parallel Mormon world that persists today.

In 1890, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) officially abandoned polygamy through a document called the Manifesto, largely to end federal prosecution and allow Utah to achieve statehood. But a significant minority of Mormons rejected this decision outright. They believed polygamy was not a temporary practice or a cultural choice—it was a divinely commanded principle that no church president had the authority to cancel. This theological disagreement created a permanent split: fundamentalist Mormons continued practicing polygamy, while the mainstream LDS Church moved toward monogamy and eventually excommunicated polygamists. The result was a fragmented Mormon landscape where splinter groups operated independently, often in secret, to preserve what they considered sacred doctrine.

The Theological Core: Why Polygamy Couldn't Be Abandoned

For fundamentalist Mormons, the issue wasn't pragmatism—it was doctrine. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young had taught that polygamy was essential to salvation and eternal progression. In fundamentalist theology, a man needed multiple wives to achieve the highest degree of heaven. This wasn't presented as a temporary social experiment or a cultural adaptation to frontier conditions. It was framed as a restored principle, part of God's true order for human relationships.

When the LDS Church leadership decided to end polygamy in 1890, fundamentalists saw this not as a wise policy shift but as a capitulation to worldly pressure and a break from divine law. They argued that church presidents were human and fallible—that they could be wrong or pressured into abandoning truth. Some cited a belief that the Manifesto itself was a deception, issued only to fool the federal government while the church secretly continued the practice (though mainstream LDS historians reject this claim). The core conviction was simple: if God commanded polygamy, no human authority—not even a church president—could legitimately revoke it.

Building Separate Communities and Networks

Unable to practice polygamy within the LDS Church after 1890, fundamentalists had to choose: abandon the principle or leave. Many chose to leave, and they built their own institutions. Some established isolated communities in remote areas—places like Short Creek (now Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah), which became a haven for polygamist families who could live openly without immediate federal interference. Other groups remained more scattered and secretive, operating through underground networks that quietly performed plural marriages and supported polygamist families.

These communities developed their own leadership structures, often claiming direct authority from Joseph Smith or Brigham Young through ordinations and priesthood lines that bypassed the official LDS hierarchy. Some groups appointed their own prophets or leaders who claimed continuing revelation. Others remained loosely organized, united mainly by shared theology and kinship ties. The key was autonomy: by separating from the LDS Church, fundamentalists could practice polygamy without risking excommunication or legal exposure—at least not immediately.

Federal Pressure and the Mainstream LDS Compromise

Understanding why fundamentalists rejected the 1890 shift requires seeing what the mainstream LDS Church faced. Federal law had criminalized polygamy in U.S. territories. Agents raided Mormon communities, seized property, and imprisoned polygamists. The LDS Church faced existential pressure: either abandon polygamy or face destruction. Church President Wilford Woodruff issued the Manifesto as a way out—a public declaration that the church would no longer solemnize plural marriages and would discipline members who did.

For fundamentalists, this compromise revealed a fatal flaw in mainstream leadership: they had chosen earthly survival over heavenly truth. The fundamentalist position was uncompromising: if God commanded polygamy, then obeying federal law that forbade it was itself a sin. Better to suffer persecution than to abandon doctrine. This difference in how they weighed religious conviction against state power became the defining split. The mainstream LDS Church prioritized institutional survival and integration into American society. Fundamentalists prioritized what they saw as doctrinal purity, even at great cost.

Why This Matters and When It Applies

The fundamentalist split reveals a persistent tension in religious movements: how do groups respond when core doctrines clash with secular law or social pressure? The 1890 Manifesto didn't end polygamy in Mormonism—it ended it in the official LDS Church. Fundamentalist splinters continued the practice for over a century, and some groups still do today. This created a parallel Mormon world that exists alongside the mainstream church, with its own theology, leadership, and communities. Understanding this split is essential to understanding modern Mormonism, which is not monolithic but fractured along lines drawn in 1890. The fundamentalist choice also illustrates how religious conviction can override practical concerns, and how institutional authority—even when wielded by church leaders—can be rejected by believers who see themselves as guardians of truer doctrine.

Key Groups and Timeline

1890: LDS Church issues Manifesto, officially ending polygamy.
Early 1900s: Fundamentalist splinters form and establish separate communities; some leaders ordain their own successors to preserve 'true' priesthood authority.
1910s–1950s: Fundamentalist groups operate in relative isolation, often in remote Utah and Arizona communities.
1950s onward: Federal raids on polygamist communities increase; some groups go deeper underground or migrate to Mexico and Canada.
Today: Fundamentalist groups range from small family networks to organized communities like the FLDS Church (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), though many remain decentralized and unaffiliated.

Did the mainstream LDS Church ever secretly continue polygamy after 1890?

This is disputed. Mainstream LDS historians say no—the Manifesto was genuine and the church enforced it. Some fundamentalists claim the church continued polygamy in secret for decades. Evidence suggests a few high-ranking leaders may have continued practicing polygamy quietly for a time, but the church as an institution stopped. Fundamentalists cite this ambiguity as proof that the Manifesto was a cover story.

How many fundamentalist Mormons are there today?

Estimates vary widely because many groups are decentralized or hidden. The largest organized group, the FLDS Church, has roughly 5,000–10,000 members. Smaller splinters and independent polygamist families may number in the tens of thousands across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Exact numbers are hard to pin down because some operate covertly.

Is polygamy still illegal in the United States?

Yes. Polygamy is illegal in all 50 states and is a felony in most. However, prosecution is rare unless there is abuse, fraud, or other crimes involved. Cohabitation without legal marriage is harder to prosecute. This legal gray area has allowed some fundamentalist communities to operate with limited interference, though raids still occur.

Do fundamentalist Mormons believe they are the true LDS Church?

Many do. They argue that they, not the mainstream LDS Church, have preserved the original doctrines of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Some claim direct priesthood succession from early leaders. Others see themselves as a separate restoration movement. This is a core point of theological disagreement and identity.

Why didn't the 1890 Manifesto end all Mormon polygamy?

Because the Manifesto was a policy decision by church leadership, not a theological reversal. Fundamentalists believed the underlying doctrine remained true regardless of what the church announced. They saw the Manifesto as a pragmatic compromise, not a divine revelation, so they felt free to reject it. The mainstream church's authority to change doctrine was the real point of contention.

Sources

LDS Church official historical records on the 1890 Manifesto and its context.
Scholarly work on Mormon fundamentalism by historians including D. Michael Quinn and Kathryn M. Daynes.
Federal census and law enforcement records on polygamist communities, particularly in Utah and Arizona.