Polygamy is made a felony by the…

Polygamy is made a felony by the Edmunds Act as passed by the U.S. Congress on March 23, 1882.

The act is named for U.S. Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont.

The Edmunds Act also prohibits "bigamous" or "unlawful cohabitation" (a misdemeanor) thus removing the need to prove that actual marriages had occurred.

It is passed in a wave of Victorian-era reaction to the perceived immorality of polygamy, or at least polygyny, which is often compared to slavery.

The act not only reinforces the 1862 Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act but also revokes polygamists' right to vote, makes them ineligible for jury service, and prohibits them from holding political office.