Nearly two years ago I was asked by a friend to compile a summary thesis on Joseph Smith's involvement in plural marriage, particularly with reference to the age of consent. The interest in this subject is only heightened when factions with roots stemming back to Mormonism continue polygamous marriages, as well as the ongoing prosecution of former FLDS leader Warren Jeffs.
Since originally posting this information, I have received numerous e-mails from complete strangers expressing gratitude for the material. Yet I cannot take credit for something I did on my own. Since Mormon Fundamentalism is something that has intrigued me for years, the best thing I can do is recommend a few sources that shed a great deal of light on the extent of Mormon polygamy.
First and foremost, Todd Compton's work In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith is the most thorough biographical sketch of the wives of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. Mormons and non-Mormons alike would do themselves a great service by acquainting themselves with this material.
Another valuable resource documenting the history of Mormon polygamy is still hot off the press. The Persistence of Polygamy, edited by Newell Bringhurst and Craig Foster is arguably the most impressive book published on the subject to date. If there is a course manual outlining the role of polygamy within Mormonism, this is it.
I also highly recommend works published by Brian C. Hales, Richard L. Bushman, Don Bradley, and for the ever-faithful skeptic, D. Michael Quinn, if further inquiry is necessary.
The following work on the age of consent in Mormon polygamy appears on pages 21-23 of Brian C. Hales' Setting the Record Straight: Mormon Fundamentalism. (This is by far the most affordable summary of Mormon polygamy).
"It is true that Joseph Smith and other early Church leaders were sealed to women as young to women as young as fourteen. However, historical evidence demonstrates that sexual relations were not a part of the relationships until the women were older. Eugene E. Campbell described Brigham Young's standard which undoubtedly began in Nauvoo, regarding young plural brides:
"One of the more distressing developments was the number of men asking Young for permission to marry girls too young to bear children. To one man at Fort Supply, Young explained, (I don't object to your taking sisters named in your letter to wife if they are not too young and their parents and your president and all connected are satisfied, but I do not want children to be married to men before an age which their mothers can generally best determine.) Writing to another man in Spanish Fork, he said, "Go ahead and marry them, but leave the children to grow.) A third man in Alpine City was instructed, (It is your privelege to take more wives, but set a good example to the people, and leave the children long enough with their parents to get their growth, strength, and maturity.) To Louis Robinson, head of the church at Fort Bridger, Young advised, (Take good women, but let the children grow, they they will be able to bear children after a few years without injury.) Another man in Santa Clara was told that it would be wise to marry an Indian girl, but only if she were mature."
"Perhaps President Young's counsel is why one study showed the average age for plural wives married in one area of Utah during the nineteenth century was around twenty.
Future President of the Church Wilford Woodruff married a fifteen-year-old girl named Emma Smith on November 11, 1843. Concerning that marriage, historian Thomas G. Alexander surmised: (He probably refrained from sexual relations with Emma until she became older, since she did not bear her first child, Hyrum Smith Woodruff, until October 4, 1857, seven months after she turned nineteen.
Similarly, another apostle, Lorenzo Snow, waited until his future wife was older, rather than marrying her at age fourteen.
(While the Houtz family were still living in Nauvoo, on a Sunday, Elenor and her parents were leaving church when Lorenzo Snow joined them. As they walked along, Lorenzo asked Elenor if she would promise one day to become his wife. Though, at the time she was only fourteen, she did make that promise. It has been erroneously written that she married at fourteen but church records and a letter written by Elenor to her Uncle Jacob Houtz, state her marriage date as 19 January, 1848 [when she was eighteen]. She was married at Mt. Pisgah by Brigham Young.)
"It is significant that the Nauvoo City Council passed an ordinance on February 17, 1842, raising the minimum ages for marriage: (All male persons over the age of seventeen years, and females over the age of fourteen years, may contract and be joined in marriage, provided, in all cases where either party is a minor, the consent of parents or guardians be first had.) Attorney Melina McTigue observed that concerning the cultural norms of that era: (Early English law set the age of consent at ten, the age was gradually raised over the years. In the nineteenth century, most states had set the age of consent at ten. A few states began by using twelve as the cutoff; Delaware set the age of consent at seven.)"
"The Mormon fundamentalist practice of marrying and having children by young teenagers greatly contrasts the practice of early Church pluralists, who were counseled to wait until their younger wives had matured before initiating physical relations that could result in pregnancy."** Selected from Brian C. Hales, Setting the Record Straight: Mormon Fundamentalism. Millenial Press, (2008) pgs 21-23.
As a woman, I find this whole business to be reprehensible. So what if they waited on sex? The whole attitude I'm getting out of these quotes shows that the individuals in question viewed women as nothing more than chattel. "It is your privilege to take more wives"? Privilege? Seriously? Yes, such a privilege that these poor girls should be married off to men old enough to be their fathers, and as a second or third or fourth wife at that. What kind of way is that to treat another human being? So what if they waited before actually having sex? The obvious focus here seems to be on waiting until the girls are old enough to bear children safely. This view of women literally makes me sick to my stomach. It is nothing short of disgusting.
ReplyDeleteBlissfulHeretic- I can sympathize with your position. Perhaps some Mormon men did view women as nothing more than chattel. At the same time, I wouldn't go so far as to paint the entire practice as such. One of the challenges of examining Mormon polygamy is the fallacy of presentism. Sure, we can't know exactly what was going through each individual's mind, but when we apply a 21st century worldview to a 19th century world, we run into more problems than we solve. As mentioned in other posts, I recommend Todd Compton's unapologetic approach to the issue, as well as the latest volume edited by Newell Bringhurst (a liberal, non-practicing Mormon) and Craig Foster (a conservative Mormon apologist). It's something we can all benefit from knowing more about, as well as educating us more about our faith's (or former faith's) past. Thanks for posting!
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