free law journal - volume 3, number 1 (18 january 2007)

FREE LAW JOURNAL - VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1 (18 JANUARY 2007)homemakers and mothers; “Support, encourage and strenghtenyour husband as patriarch in the home” was the most importantduty of Mormon women 7 and women were considered to beendowed with monogamic tendencies and men with polygamicones. 83. THE LEGAL AND JUDICIAL STRUGGLES WITHPOLYGAMYDespite the efforts of John Smith and his followers to legitimizepolygamy, the Mormon church didn’t at the beginning supportpolygamy. 9 Moreover, the Church leaders did not formallypronounce polgamy until 1852 as the official church doctrine. 10After the announcement 11 made in 1852 by Brigham Young,successor of Joseph Smith and prophet of the Church of JesusChrist of Latter-day Saints , the Mormons practiced vigorouslypolygamy. As the consequence of this announcement, the longand hard struggle over religious liberty, marriage and law becameapparent. 12Shortly after arriving in Utah, Mormons got a shortly hold of theinfluential political power in the territory and played a major rolein local economics and politics. They used their political power to789101112Brewster, Pamela R., Mothers and Goddesses: American Women in theMormon Subculture, Michigan, 1990, p.92Altman-Ginat, p.27Chambers, David L., “Polygamy and Same-Sex Marriage”, Hofstra LawReview, Vol.26, No.1, 1997, p.61-62Chambers, p. 62; Altman-Ginat, p.32The revelation on spritual marriage was first declared in 1852,August 29. Itwas introduced at a special conference that was held in Great Salt LakeCity, for more details, see Andrew Jenson, Church Chronology, August 29,1852, Sunday, Journal of Discourses, Vol.1, p.53Gordon, Sarah, The Mormon Question Polygamy and ConstitutionalConflict in Nineteenth-Century America, The University of North CarolinaPress, 2001, http://www.ibiblio.org/uncpress/chapters/gordon_mormon.html,118DIDEM ÖZALPAT - LEGAL AND JUDICIAL STRUGGLES WITHPOLYGAMOUS MARRIAGES IN MORMON SOCIETY (1830-1887)