September 24

Facing intense federal pressure and the risk of disenfranchisement, church president Wilford Woodruff issued the 1890 Manifesto to discontinue plural marriages. This pivotal pronouncement aimed to bring the church into compliance with United States law and avoid further sanctions. The renunciation marked a significant shift in LDS doctrine and social practice. It facilitated Utah’s path to statehood in 1896 and eased tensions between church members and the federal government. While the decision effectively ended new plural unions, it sparked internal debate among adherents. Over time, the church reaffirmed monogamy as central to its modern identity.

In late September 1906, sensationalist newspaper reports falsely alleged assaults by black men on white women, igniting mob violence in Atlanta, Georgia. Over five days, white mobs attacked African American neighborhoods, killing at least 25 people and injuring many more. Local authorities were slow to intervene, and the National Guard was eventually deployed to restore order. The riot exposed deep-seated racial animosities and the power of inflammatory journalism. Its aftermath led to stricter Jim Crow enforcement and a retrenchment of segregation in the South. The event remains a stark reminder of early 20th-century racial violence in America.