essays plural

Eseys or Essays – Which is Correct?

• by Sarah Thompson
• March 3, 2024

Let’s have a conversation about the common mistake people make when writing the word “Essays.” Many individuals seem to get confused between “Eseys” and “Essays” and find themselves wondering which spelling is correct. Today, we will debunk this confusion and establish the correct spelling once and for all.

To address this issue, it is pertinent to emphasize that “Essays” is the correct spelling of the word. The incorrect term “Eseys” is a common misspelling resulting from a typographical error or a lack of familiarity with the correct spelling.

Now, let’s learn the reasons why “Essays” is the right spelling. Firstly, “Essays” is the plural form of the singular noun “Essay.” When we want to refer to more than one essay, we simply add an “s” to the end of the word. This is the conventional English rule for forming plurals of nouns, and it applies to “Essay” as well. For example, “I have written multiple essays on various topics.” Here, the correct plural form of “Essay” is used to convey the idea that the speaker has written more than one essay.

Moreover, we can also look at past forms of verbs to further solidify the correct spelling. For instance, the verb form of “Essay” is “Essayed.” “Essayed” is the past tense form, and by examining the conjugation of the verb, we can recognize that “Essays” is indeed the accurate plural form. You might say, “He essayed his thoughts on the subject,” to convey that someone expressed their ideas in the form of an essay.

To illustrate the incorrect spelling, “Eseys,” it is crucial to emphasize that this word does not exist in Standard English. It is a mistake that has often emerged due to a lack of knowledge or inattentiveness during writing. Therefore, it is essential to be attentive and avoid this misspelling in formal writing, as it may weaken your language skills and leave a negative impression on the reader.

In conclusion, we have effectively established that the correct spelling of the word referring to multiple essays is “Essays.” “Eseys” is an erroneous form that should be avoided. Remember, using proper grammar and spelling not only enhances your communication skills, but it also showcases your proficiency in the English language. So, the next time you find yourself unsure about whether to write “Eseys” or “Essays,” confidently choose the latter for an accurate and grammatically correct sentence!

So, keep practicing your writing skills, pay attention to proper grammar, and remember the correct spelling of “Essays.” With dedication and practice, you will become an exceptional writer and expert in the English language.

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Pronunciation [ change ]

Noun [ change ].

• The plural form of essay ; more than one (kind of) essay.

Verb [ change ]

• The third-person singular form of essay .

• Regular verbs
• Third-person singular forms
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• 1.1 Pronunciation
• 1.4 Anagrams
• 2.1 Pronunciation

English [ edit ]

Pronunciation [ edit ].

• IPA ( key ) : /ˈɛseɪz/
• IPA ( key ) : /ɛˈseɪz/
• Rhymes: -eɪz
• Hyphenation: es‧says

Noun [ edit ]

• plural of essay

Verb [ edit ]

• third-person singular simple present indicative of essay

Anagrams [ edit ]

• Sesays , Sessay

Dutch [ edit ]

• English 2-syllable words
• English terms with IPA pronunciation
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• Rhymes:English/eɪz
• Rhymes:English/eɪz/2 syllables
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Definition of essay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

• composition

attempt , try , endeavor , essay , strive mean to make an effort to accomplish an end.

attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

Examples of essay in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'essay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle French essai , ultimately from Late Latin exagium act of weighing, from Latin ex- + agere to drive — more at agent

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing essay

• photo - essay
• essay question

Articles Related to essay

To 'Essay' or 'Assay'?

You'll know the difference if you give it the old college essay

Dictionary Entries Near essay

Cite this entry.

“Essay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essay. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of essay.

Kids Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on essay

Nglish: Translation of essay for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of essay for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about essay

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Meaning of essay in English

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• I want to finish off this essay before I go to bed .
• His essay was full of spelling errors .
• Have you given that essay in yet ?
• Have you handed in your history essay yet ?
• I'd like to discuss the first point in your essay.
• boilerplate
• composition
• dissertation
• essay question
• peer review
• go after someone
• go all out idiom
• go down swinging/fighting idiom
• go for it idiom
• go for someone
• shoot the works idiom
• smarten (someone/something) up
• smarten up your act idiom
• square the circle idiom
• step on the gas idiom

essay | Intermediate English

Examples of essay, collocations with essay.

These are words often used in combination with essay .

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Translations of essay

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Word of the Day

a bitter pill (to swallow)

something that is very unpleasant but must be accepted

Sitting on the fence (Newspaper idioms)

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Definition of 'essay'

Video: pronunciation of essay

essay in American English

Essay in british english, examples of 'essay' in a sentence essay, related word partners essay, trends of essay.

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essay in English dictionary

Meanings and definitions of "essay".

• A written composition of moderate length exploring a particular issue or subject.
• (obsolete) A test, experiment; an assay.
• (now rare) An attempt.
• (dated, transitive) To try.
• (intransitive) To move forth, as into battle.
• noun A written composition of moderate length exploring a particular issue or subject.
• noun (obsolete) A test, experiment; an assay.
• noun (now rare) An attempt.
• verb (dated, transitive) To try.
• verb (intransitive) To move forth, as into battle.
• Short disquisition about a theme.
• written composition
• noun an analytic or interpretive literary composition
• noun a tentative attempt
• verb make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world"
• verb put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe"

Synonyms of "essay" in English dictionary

evaluate, attempt, test are the top synonyms of "essay" in English thesaurus.

• evaluate · attempt · test · prove · assay · writing · examine · endeavour · seek · pass judgment · written material · piece of writing · effort · try out · endeavor · judge · try · move · act

make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world"

put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe"

Grammar and declension of essay

• essay ( third-person singular simple present essays , present participle essaying , simple past and past participle essayed )
• essay ( plural   essays )
• essay ( plural essays )

Sample sentences with " essay "

Available translations.

• Ancient Greek (to 1453)
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• Eastern Mari
• Hakka Chinese
• Interglossa
• Interlingua
• Interlingue
• Kurdish Kurmanji
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• Modern Gaulish
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• Wordnet Online |
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• Google字典中英文版

• - essay a smile
• A short piece of writing on a particular subject
• - a misjudged essay
• A trial design of a postage stamp yet to be accepted

Web Definitions:

• an analytic or interpretive literary composition
• try: make an effort or attempt; "He tried to shake off his fears"; "The infant had essayed a few wobbly steps"; "The police attempted to stop the thief"; "He sought to improve himself"; "She always seeks to do good in the world"
• a tentative attempt
• test: put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to; "This approach has been tried with good results"; "Test this recipe"
• An essay is a short piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. ...
• A numismatic essay is a coin prototype proposed for general sale or circulation.
• In philately, an essay is a design for a proposed stamp submitted to the postal authorities for consideration but not used, or used after alterations have been made.Mackay, James. Philatelic Terms Illustrated. 4th edition. London: Stanley Gibbons, 2003, p.50. ...
• (Essays (book)) Essays is the title given to a collection of 107 essays written by Michel de Montaigne that was first published in 1580. Montaigne essentially invented the literary form of essay, a short subjective treatment of a given topic, of which the book contains a large number. ...
• (Essays (Francis Bacon)) Essayes: Religious Meditations. Places of Perswasion and Disswasion. Seene and Allowed (1597) was the first published book by the philosopher, statesman and jurist Francis Bacon. ...
• A written composition of moderate length exploring a particular issue or subject; A test, experiment; an assay; An attempt; To try; To move forth, as into battle
• (Essays) Maelzel's Chess Player (1836) · The Daguerreotype (1840) · The Philosophy of Furniture (1840) · A Few Words on Secret Writing (1841) · The Rationale of Verse (1843) · Morning on the Wissahiccon (1844) · Old English Poetry (1845) · The Philosophy of Composition (1846) · The Poetic ...
• Essays are pieces of written work, which are submitted by students to the university and is one form of assessment. ...
• (Essays) The Other Woman: Twenty-one Wives, Lovers, and Others Talk Openly About Sex, Deception, Love, and Betrayal includes "Iowa Was Never Like This"
• (Essays) These are stamp designs which the postal authority has considered, but decided not to use.
• (Essays) or Commentaries written by established scientists with valuable perspectives.
• (essays) (in  nonfictional prose: Philosophy and politics)
• ABC Essays and Academic Writing
• a trial or design of new note. It may be drawn, printed or partially printed.
• A stamp produced for trial or experimental purposes prior to the issue of the final agreed design.
• A brief work of nonfiction that offers an opinion on a subject. The purpose of an essay may be to express ideas and feelings, to analyze, to inform, to entertain, or to persuade. ...
• The artwork of a proposed design for a stamp. Some essays are rendered photographically. Others are drawn in pencil or ink or are painted. Most essays are rejected. One becomes the essay for the accepted design.
• Trickster's Pregnancy and the Seasons of Corn
• A prose composition with a focused subject of discussion. The term was coined by Michel de Montaigne to describe his 1580 collection of brief, informal reflections on himself and on various topics relating to human nature. An essay can also be a long, systematic discourse. ...
• A short nonfiction prose piece: a short analytical, descriptive, or interpretive piece of literary or journalistic prose dealing with a particular topic, especially from a personal and unsystematic viewpoint.
• Essay is a relatively short prose composition on a limited topic. Most essays are 500 to 1,000 words long and focus on a clearly definable question to be answered or problem to be solved. ...
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This site is supported by Language Study of English , if please feel free to Send me an email .

Essay Plural, What is the Plural of Essay?

Meaning: a short piece of writing on a particular subject.

Table of Contents

Plural of Essay

• dissertation

Essay as a Singular Noun in Example Sentences:

• She submitted her essay before the deadline.
• The student received an A+ on his essay .
• The teacher assigned a persuasive essay for the assignment.
• He spent hours researching and writing the essay .
• The essay explored the theme of identity in literature.
• The scholarship required a well-written essay on a specific topic.
• The university professor provided feedback on the essay .
• The essay was published in a renowned academic journal.

Essay as a Plural Noun in Example Sentences:

• The students submitted their essays for grading.
• The conference received numerous essays from scholars around the world.
• The collection of essays covered a wide range of topics.
• The professor assigned weekly essays to encourage critical thinking.
• The finalists presented their essays in front of the audience.
• The anthology included essays from various renowned authors.
• The competition aimed to recognize outstanding essays on social issues.
• The workshop focused on refining students’ persuasive essays .

Singular Possessive of Essay:

The singular possessive form of “Essay” is “Essay’s”.

Examples of Singular Possessive Form of Essay:

• I need to read Essay’s conclusion.
• The topic of Essay’s first paragraph is intriguing.
• Have you seen Essay’s thesis statement?
• I appreciate Essay’s insightful analysis.
• The structure of Essay’s body paragraphs is clear.
• Essay’s introduction captures the reader’s attention.
• I admire Essay’s coherent argumentation.
• Essay’s conclusion summarizes the main points.
• Can you provide me with Essay’s bibliography?
• The evidence in Essay’s supporting paragraphs is compelling.

Plural Possessive of Essay:

The plural possessive form of “Essay” is “Essays'”.

Examples of Plural Possessive Form of Essay:

• I need to read the Essays’ conclusions.
• The topics of the Essays’ first paragraphs are diverse.
• Have you seen the Essays’ thesis statements?
• I appreciate the Essays’ insightful analyses.
• The structures of the Essays’ body paragraphs are well-organized.
• The Essays’ introductions engage the readers effectively.
• I admire the Essays’ coherent argumentations.
• The Essays’ conclusions summarize the main points eloquently.
• Can you provide me with the Essays’ bibliographies?
• The evidence in the Essays’ supporting paragraphs is substantial.

Explore Related Nouns:

• Complete List of Singular Plurals

Last updated on June 9th, 2023 at 09:23 pm

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Gospel Topic Essays: 011: Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo

• August 28, 2020 April 24, 2023

We continue our tour of the Gospel Topics Essays and with the essay Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo .  The Goal – To share the LDS Church’s Gospel Topic Essays and help the both the believing member and the non-believer get a sense of the why these essays were written, who the intended audience is, whether these essays resolve the concerns of the faithful and non-believer and why perhaps these essays even add to the disbelief of those who skeptical of the issues they find in Mormon History.

RESOURCES: https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/mormon_polygamy/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_and_polygamy

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/topic/polygamy

http://www.mormonthink.com/joseph-smith-polygamy.htm

https://www.fairmormon.org/conference/august-2015/joseph-smiths-polygamy-toward-a-better-understanding

https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2017/12/premium-lucy-walker-spiritual-experiences/

http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/23-LucyWalker.htm

http://wivesofjosephsmith.org/2021-EmilyandElizaPartridge.htm

http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/02-FannyAlger.htm

http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/2425-SarahandMariaLawrence.htm

https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/year-of-polygamy/year-of-polygamy-fanny-alger-episode-01/#:~:text=Join%20Lindsay%20for%20the%20primer,first%20plural%20wife%2C%20Fanny%20Alger.

https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/year-of-polygamy/year-of-polygamy-emily-partridge-episode-20/

https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/year-of-polygamy/year-of-polygamy-lucy-walker-episode-24/

https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/year-of-polygamy/year-of-polygamy-helen-mar-kimball-episode-26/

https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Loneliness-Plural-Wives-Joseph/dp/156085085X

https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Eternal-Polygamy-Haunting-Hearts/dp/0997458208

https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/assessing-the-criticisms-of-early-age-latter-day-saint-marriages/?fbclid=IwAR0ep5zvuaGZ25sb2_bsqNK7pm_9N4rT489uxWyFUpeV6uBjhyh6kBhK5FI

Co-Hosts of this episode

Lindsay Hansen Park is an American Mormon feminist blogger, podcaster, and the Executive Director for the Salt Lake City-based non-profit Sunstone Education Foundation . She blogs for Feminist Mormon Housewives (FMH) about women’s issues inside and outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is the main voice behind the Year of Polygamy podcast .  Her work and voice have been referenced in The Wall Street Journal, The Salt Lake Tribune’s Trib Talk, Salt Lake City Weekly, The Guardian and Quartz.

Allan Mount is Co-host of the Marriage on a Tightrope podcast with his wife Kattie. After 35 faithful years in the church, it was the Gospel Topic Essays that acted as a catalyst to his faith transition. He is a sales director for a technology company in South Jordan Utah. Kattie and Allan have 4 children.

Anthony Miller is an entrepreneur and education enthusiast in Billings, Montana, with Masters degrees in Business Administration and in Financial Services. After a lifetime of faithful membership in the church, he experienced a faith transition after he stumbled across the Gospel Topics Essays and similar materials in 2016, while he was searching for resources to support his adult gay son. Anthony blogs at UnpackingAmbiguity.com and is a frequent contributor to post and progressive Mormon support communities.

Bill Reel is a media producer and Pawn Shop Broker and lives in Southern Utah.  Bill experienced a deep faith shift while serving as a LDS Bishop in 2012.  Since then has has worked to be a voice to help others reconcile the complex issues of Mormonism.  He is the the lead contributor of the Mormon Primer and host of Mormon Discussion Podcast

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3 thoughts on “Gospel Topic Essays: 011: Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo”

Last year, the church disabled the link to the Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo Gospel Topics Essay in the Gospel Library App (where most members would look for/find this essay) so members would not stumble across/find the most difficult/troubling essay on this topic within the tool the church recommends for gospel study.

To understand and see what I am referring to, Download the Gospel Library App, navigate to the Gospel Topics Essay page thru the App, click on Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Essay. About 7 paragraphs in, you’ll find what should be the link to the Nauvoo polygamy essay (“If you would like to learn more about the beginnings of plural marriage in the Church, click here“.). That link was originally the only way members could navigate to the Nauvoo essay thru the Gospel Library App. The link has been disconnected.

I also noticed that the link in the body of the introduction Essay doesn’t work in the Library App.

However, if I scroll down to the bottom of the Essay, there are links to it in Related Topics, for which they open up the other essays on the Church’s website in a browser.

It is interesting that the Kirtland and Nauvoo Plural Marriage Essay isn’t on the App, but rather takes a person to the Church’s website.

I wonder if they did that to be able to better measure site visit counts for those extra essays.

The line in which Helen Mar Kimball stated that her marriage was for “eternity alone” comes from a poem. If people want to see the context, it can be read here: http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/26-HelenMarKimball.htm

I doubt she was saying that she was sealed for “Eternity only.” While Lindsay Hansen Park is correct that Joseph Smith was controlling her sexuality even if he was not having sex with her, I think claiming this poem as evidence that she was not having sex with Joseph is a stretch. The authors were grasping at straws with this one.

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“Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Gospel Topics Essays (2016)

“Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Gospel Topics Essays

Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Latter-day Saints believe that the marriage of one man and one woman is the Lord’s standing law of marriage. In biblical times, the Lord commanded some to practice plural marriage—the marriage of one man and more than one woman. 1 By revelation, the Lord commanded Joseph Smith to institute the practice of plural marriage among Church members in the early 1840s. For more than half a century, plural marriage was practiced by some Latter-day Saints under the direction of the Church President. 2

Latter-day Saints do not understand all of God’s purposes in instituting, through His prophets, the practice of plural marriage. The Book of Mormon identifies one reason for God to command it: to increase the number of children born in the gospel covenant in order to “raise up seed unto [the Lord].” 3

Plural marriage did result in the birth of large numbers of children within faithful Latter-day Saint homes. It also shaped 19th-century Mormon society in many ways: marriage became available to virtually all who desired it; per-capita inequality of wealth was diminished as economically disadvantaged women married into more financially stable households; and ethnic intermarriages were increased, which helped to unite a diverse immigrant population. Plural marriage also helped create and strengthen a sense of cohesion and group identification among Latter-day Saints. Church members came to see themselves as a “peculiar people,” covenant-bound to carry out the commands of God despite outside opposition. 4

The Beginnings of Plural Marriage in the Church

Polygamy had been permitted for millennia in many cultures and religions, but, with few exceptions, it was rejected in Western cultures. In Joseph Smith’s time, monogamy was the only legal form of marriage in the United States.

The revelation on plural marriage, recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 132 , emerged partly from Joseph Smith’s study of the Old Testament in 1831. Latter-day Saints understood that they were living in the latter days, in what the revelations called the “dispensation of the fulness of times.” 5 Ancient principles—such as prophets, priesthood, and temples—would be restored to the earth. Plural marriage, practiced by ancient patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, was one of those ancient principles. 6

The same revelation that taught of plural marriage was embedded within a revelation about eternal marriage—the teaching that marriage could last beyond death. Monogamous and plural marriages performed by priesthood power could seal loved ones to each other for eternity, on condition of righteousness. 7

The revelation on marriage stated general principles; it did not explain how to implement plural marriage in all its particulars. In Nauvoo, Joseph Smith married additional wives and authorized other Latter-day Saints to practice plural marriage. The practice was introduced carefully and incrementally, and participants vowed to keep their participation confidential, anticipating a time when husbands and wives could acknowledge one another publicly.

If you would like to learn more about the beginnings of plural marriage in the Church, click here.

Plural Marriage and Families in 19th-Century Utah

Between 1852 and 1890, Latter-day Saints openly practiced plural marriage. Most plural families lived in Utah. Women and men who lived within plural marriage attested to challenges and difficulties but also to the love and joy they found within their families. They believed it was a commandment of God at that time and that obedience would bring great blessings to them and their posterity. Church leaders taught that participants in plural marriages should seek to develop a generous spirit of unselfishness and the pure love of Christ for everyone involved.

Although some leaders had large polygamous families, two-thirds of polygamist men had only two wives at a time. Church leaders recognized that plural marriages could be particularly difficult for women. Divorce was therefore available to women who were unhappy in their marriages; remarriage was also readily available. Women sometimes married at young ages in the first decade of Utah settlement, which was typical of women living in frontier areas at the time. At its peak in 1857, perhaps one half of all Utah Latter-day Saints experienced plural marriage as a husband, wife, or child. The percentage of those involved in plural marriage steadily declined over the next three decades.

During the years that plural marriage was publicly taught, not all Latter-day Saints were expected to live the principle, though all were expected to accept it as a revelation from God. Indeed, this system of marriage could not have been universal due to the ratio of men to women. Women were free to choose their spouses, whether to enter into a polygamous or a monogamous union, or whether to marry at all. Some men entered plural marriage because they were asked to do so by Church leaders, while others initiated the process themselves; all were required to obtain the approval of Church leaders before entering a plural marriage.

If you would like to learn more about plural marriage and families in Utah, click here.

Anti-Polygamy Legislation and the End of Plural Marriage

Beginning in 1862, the U.S. government passed laws against the practice of plural marriage. After the U.S. Supreme Court found the anti-polygamy laws to be constitutional in 1879, federal officials began prosecuting polygamous husbands and wives during the 1880s. Believing these laws to be unjust, Latter-day Saints engaged in civil disobedience by continuing to practice plural marriage and by attempting to avoid arrest by moving to the homes of friends or family or by hiding under assumed names. When convicted, they paid fines and submitted to jail time.

One of the anti-polygamy laws permitted the U.S. government to seize Church property. Federal officers soon threatened to take Latter-day Saint temples. The work of salvation for both the living and the dead was now in jeopardy. In September 1890, Church President Wilford Woodruff felt inspired to issue the Manifesto. “Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages,” President Woodruff explained, “I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to have them do likewise.” 8

The full implications of the document were not apparent at first. The Lord’s way is to speak “line upon line; here a little, there a little.” 9 Like the beginning of plural marriage in the Church, the end of the practice was gradual and incremental, a process filled with difficulties and uncertainties.

The Manifesto declared President Woodruff’s intention to submit to the laws of the United States, and new plural marriages within that jurisdiction largely came to an end. But a small number of plural marriages continued to be performed in Mexico and Canada, under the sanction of some Church leaders. As a rule, these marriages were not promoted by Church leaders and were difficult to get approved. Either one or both of the spouses who entered into these unions typically had to agree to remain in Canada or Mexico. On an exceptional basis, a smaller number of plural marriages were performed within the United States between the years 1890 and 1904.

The Church’s role in these marriages became a subject of intense public debate after Reed Smoot, an Apostle, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1903. At the April 1904 general conference, Church President Joseph F. Smith issued a forceful statement, known as the Second Manifesto, making new plural marriages punishable by excommunication. 10 Since President Smith’s day, Church Presidents have repeatedly emphasized that the Church and its members are no longer authorized to enter into plural marriage and have underscored the sincerity of their words by urging local leaders to bring noncompliant members before Church disciplinary councils.

If you would like to learn more about the end of plural marriage in the Church, click here.

Plural marriage was among the most challenging aspects of the Restoration. For many who practiced it, plural marriage was a trial of faith. It violated both cultural and legal norms, leading to persecution and revilement. Despite these hardships, plural marriage benefited the Church in innumerable ways. Through the lineage of these 19th-century Saints have come many Latter-day Saints who have been faithful to their gospel covenants as righteous mothers and fathers; loyal disciples of Jesus Christ; devoted Church members, leaders, and missionaries; and good citizens and prominent public officials. Modern Latter-day Saints honor and respect these faithful pioneers who gave so much for their faith, families, and community.