Learn about the history of the LDS Church
In 1843, the pronouncement of polygamy being acceptable caused significant division among the church. The following year, Smith was arrested on criminal charges and was shot while in jail. A struggle for leadership quickly ensued following his death. As a result, a number of people left the Nauvoo settlement and began to march westward. Brigham Young led the largest westward movement. For awhile they briefly settle in Iowa and then eventually move on to the Great Salt Lake area. At the time, the area was outside the purview of the United States. The group immediately set about laying out what would become Salt Lake City. Over the next several years, settlements were also established in other western locations. Dissension continued; however, especially regarding the subject of polygamy and who should rightfully be the leader of the church; many felt that members of the Smith family should continue in the role of leadership.
The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints was organized in 1853. Disagreement regarding the subject of plural marriage continued. The policy was outlawed in U.S. territories in 1862; however the act was not enforced at the time. Still, the policy would prevent Utah from becoming a state for some forty years.
By 1866, the church had amassed 60,000 members. In the ensuing years, anti-polygamy activity increased and the act which had outlawed plural marriages, the Morrill Act, was eventually enforced. In 1890, polygamy was renounced by LDS President Wilford Woodruff; however, it did little to solve the issue. By 1893, more than one thousand Mormons had been convicted. Over the next several years, the church continued to expand in membership and had grown to more than 200,000 members in 1894. In 1896, Utah was admitted to the Union as a State. The polygamy issue continued; however. Eventually, the church was forced to threaten members who practiced polygamy with ex-communication in 1904. At the time, the church agreed to cooperate with federal authorities regarding the prosecution of polygamists; however, that came to a stop in 1953 when authorities raided a community in Short Creek and took women and children into custody.
Today there are more than 13 million members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world. Almost from the beginning, strong missionary efforts were made around the world. Today, as a result, there are actually more members living outside the United States than inside. In 2001, the Reorganized Latter Day Saints changed their name to Community of Christ. It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 members of the Community of Christ. In addition, there are a number of fundamentalist Mormon groups that continue to practice polygamy. Estimates indicate that there could be as many as 60,000 Fundamentalists.