1. In a combination of Victorian and eternal sealing mindset, many sealings and adoptions to Joseph Smith were made with the idea to link families. (most likely were symbolic sealings not involving physical relations at all).
2. Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball polygamy was not typical. Many of their wives, now widowed, were originally sealed to Joseph Smith. (BY and HCK took responsibility for a unique need)
3. Divorce laws were very liberal. Womens rights were generally much better for the time. If there was a divorce, children belonged to the wife. Women could vote, own property, encouraged to be educated.
4. The institution in frontier Utah for caring for fatherless and the widow was the family thru adoption and marriage.
5. Most men practicing polygamy only had 2 wives max.
6. In many cases polygamy was a calling and sought approval of 1st wife.
7. Only 30% men practiced in St. George in 1860, 25% in 1870, 20% in 1880.
8. Individual women in polygamy had less children overall, men had more children overall.
9. Women could seek and were encouraged to seek education and vocational opportunities if desired while having builtin intrafamily access to childcare.
10. Journals of polygamous wives at the time were net positive. Descendents today, looking back, are net positive.
11. Fundamentalist polygamy today is nothing like the historical practice.
12. A women's own children provide care and support for her in her old age, then as now.
13. It was a commandant of God to restore the practice for a time. We don't know all the whys
14. It was 100% voluntary for men and women.
15. Women were asked by Joseph Smith and others to seek a revelation from God. Women eport receiving independent revelations that polygamy was God's will for them.
16. Raised the bar for single men.
17. LDS are not called to and do not practice this today.
"when your daughters have grown up and wish to marry let them have their choice in a husband if they know what their choice is... but if they marry the wrong man let them try again... you shall have your own agency in the matter" -Brigham Young
"they will tell you that you will go into eternity and find yourself without husbands and cannot get an exaltation. That you cannot have this, that, or the other if you are not sealed to them. .. My advice to the sisters is never be sealed to any man unless you wish to be.... Let me hear no more: 'you must be sealed to me or you cannot get an exaltation'." -Brigham Young
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