title: Celestial marriage and earthly rents: interests and the prohibition of polygamy.
abstract: Just prior to the Civil War, the US government set out on a relentless campaign to eliminate polygamy within the Mormon Church.  This paper offers evidence that the political restrictions on the practice of polygamy were the result of rent seeking by potential beneficiaries of such laws (the Edmonds Act of 1882).  Polygamy created benefits for women, but reduced the welfare of most men, in a time period when only adult males had the franchise.
mesh_terms: D000569:Americas; D002835:Christianity; D019049:Developed Countries; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D008393:Marriage; D009656:North America; D012067:Religion; D014481:United States
keywords: Americas; Christianity; Church Of The Latter-day Saints; Critique; Developed Countries; Marriage; Marriage Patterns; North America; Northern America; Nuptiality; Polygamy--religious aspects; Polygyny; Religion; United States