Use the following information about the Morrill Act for the…
Use the following information about the Morrill Act for the following two questions. Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 8, 1862, the Morrill Act was promoted by politicians openly hostile to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the time, Utah was still a territory and did not have any voting representatives in Congress. Aimed directly at the Mormon practice of plural marriage, the Morrill Act provided criminal sanctions against those who had already entered into polygamous marriages, including fines and imprisonment. The Latter-day Saints were incensed because they considered the law to be an infringement of their religious freedoms and therefore unconstitutional. They were also angered because the legislation was aimed only at them and had been promoted by their enemies in Utah.