Final answer:
Bigamy is the act of marrying someone while already being legally married to another person, and it is a felony in most U.S. states. Although polygamy is culturally accepted in some parts of the world, it is illegal and generally socially unacceptable in the United States.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bigamy occurs when a person marries a second person while a first marriage is still legal. This act is illegal in the United States and is considered a felony in most states. While polygamy, the practice of marrying more than one person at a time, may be culturally accepted in various parts of the world, it is not legally recognized in the U.S. and is also socially unacceptable for the majority. In some societies, forms of polygamous marriages exist, such as polygyny, where a man is married to multiple women, and polyandry, where a woman is married to multiple men, though the latter is less common. The idea of marriage is culturally relative, and while polygamous societies may view it as a sign of status or a solution to demographic challenges, it is not congruent with the legal and social norms of the U.S.