Today in History: The Mormans Renounce Polygamy

On this day (September 24) in 1890, the Mormons officially renounced polygamy. The “1890 Manifesto” was issued by Church of Latter Day Saints President Wilford Woodruff under intense pressure from the United States. Renouncing polygamy helped to pave the way for Utah becoming a state in 1896. (One of the conditions for statehood was that the ban on polygamy be written into the state constitution.)