Barbarians Within the Gates: Congressional Debates on Mormon Polygamy

In 1879, the Supreme Court of the United States delivered its judgment in Reynolds vs United States on the constitutionality of a federal anti-polygamy statute. The Reynolds decision brought to a halt the nearly three-decade debate over the propriety of Congress taking legislative action to stamp out polygamy in the territories of the United States. This article examines the development of these debates on Mormon polygamy that were held in the US Congress from the creation of the Territory of Utah until Reynolds was decided