Freemasonry in the United States

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Freemasonry is a fraternal order that originated in Britain and later spread internationally through colonial expansion and migration. Its members, known as Freemasons, traditionally meet local groups called lodges, which historically were male-only. Freemasonry emphasizes moral development, mutual aid, and ethical conduct, often expressed through symbolic rituals. Over time, the organization has interacted with a wide range of cultures and has at times faced political and social opposition.

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Colonial Era

Grand Lodges founded during the Colonial Era

Freemasonry spread from the British Isles during the Colonial Era as the original Grand Lodges in England began issuing charters in North America. Starting in 1730, the "Modern" Grand Lodge of England granted warrants for Provincial Grand Lodges in the colonies. These warrants were initially issued to individuals appointed as deputies of the Grand Master, which led to overlapping jurisdictions and administrative confusion.

Following the establishment of the rival "Ancient" Grand Lodge of England, separate Provincial Grand Lodges were chartered under its authority, further complicating governance. The two competing systems, known as the "Ancients" and the "Moderns", became the dominant organizational branches of Freemasonry in the English-speaking world during the eighteenth century.

Timeline of Grand Lodges foundations in North America

Later Grand Lodges

After the American Revolution, the various Provincial Grand Lodges were dissolved, and the Lodges within each state formed independent Grand Lodges. These new Grand Lodges, in turn, chartered lodges in the expanding western territories and newly admitted states. As each new state was established, the lodges operating within its borders typically convened to form their own Grand Lodges. [8]

Rapid growth 1800–1830

Masonic membership expanded rapidly during the first quarter of the 19th century, especially in the Northeastern United States. By 1800, there were 11 Grand Lodges in the United States, overseeing 347 subordinate lodges and approximately 16,000 members. By 1820, New York alone had 300 lodges with about 15,000 members, and by 1825 the state added another 150 lodges and 5,000 members. [9]

Internationally, Freemasonry also expanded during this period, gaining a presence in Latin America and continental Europe, where French lodges became predominated and were often associated with politics and religious movements in the region. [10]

Social and cultural roles

Historian Mark Carnes has argued that Freemasons, along with other fraternal organisations such as the Odd Fellows, the Improved Order of Red Men, and the Knights of Pythias, contributed to cultural shifts in perceptions of traditional masculinity through the use of elaborate secret rituals. Lodges developed initiation ceremonies that incorporated chains, skeletons, robes, masks, blindfolds, and torchlight, in part as a response to what Carnes described as the growing feminization of mainstream Protestant religious culture. These practices fostered a distinct private culture of shared symbols and ritual that functioned as an alternative social space. [11] One prominent California Freemason articulated this view by rejecting what he characterised as "dreaminess", "sentimentalism", and comparisons to social or church gatherings, instead emphasizing Freemasonry as an organization centered on masculine identity. [12]

Although women were not members of Freemasonry, their support played a role in the organisation's recovery after the 1830s. Wives and female authors often benefited from and contributed to Masonic networks. In 1823, for example, Sarah Josepha Hale published a collection of her poems, The Genius of Oblivion, with financial assistance from her late husband’s lodge. The Masonic community continued to support Hale's career, particularly during her forty-year tenure as editor of Godey's Lady's Book , one of the most influential women’s magazines of the nineteenth century. [13]

Illustration promoting African American ascent of the ladder of success, from a Prince Hall Masonic convention program book in 1920 Internationalcon01knig 0005.jpg
Illustration promoting African American ascent of the ladder of success, from a Prince Hall Masonic convention program book in 1920

African-American lodges

Prince Hall Freemasonry was founded in 1784 by the black activist Prince Hall as a branch of Freemasonry for African Americans in North America. [14] It consists of two main branches: the independent State Prince Hall Grand Lodges, most of which are recognized by predominantly white Masonic jurisdictions, and those that operate under the jurisdiction of the National Grand Lodge. Prince Hall Freemasonry is the oldest and largest predominantly African American fraternal in the United States, with more than 300,000 initiated members. [15] [16]

Anti-Masonic Party

The Anti-Masonic Party was a single-issue political party that emerged in the late 1820s in opposition to Freemasonry. It later sought to develop into a broader political movement by expanding its platform to address additional public issues. The party was formed following the disappearance of William Morgan, a former Mason who had become a vocal critic of the organization. His disappearance generated widespread speculation of Masonic involvement and helped fuel anti-Masonic sentiment. [17]

Anti-Masons argued that Freemasonry posed a threat to American republican values by exerting undue influence within government and claimed that the organization was hostile to evangelical Christianity. Concern over what was perceived as the political power of Freemasonry led to the formation of the Anti-Masonic Party. In New York State, the Anti-Masons replaced the National Republicans as the primary opposition to the Democratic Party.[ citation needed ]

Freemasons, for their part, maintained that the organization avoided direct involvement in state and national politics. They asserted that their role was to encourage cooperation among political leaders of differing views and parties and that endorsing a political party would be incompatible with this purpose. [18] Historians generally agree that while Masons were often locally prominent and may have attempted to manage the public response to the Morgan case at the local level, the broader claims of a national conspiracy lack substantial evidence. [19] Although Masonic membership had grown rapidly in the early nineteenth century, it declined sharply during this period: of the approximately 450 lodges operating in 1825, only about 50 remained by 1834. [20]

As the 1830s progressed, most Anti-Masons aligned with the emerging Whig Party, which brought together voters opposed to President Andrew Jackson. Jackson was a Freemason, as was his principal political rival, Henry Clay. The Anti-Masons contributed to the Whigs a strong distrust of entrenched political elites, a rejection of rigid party loyalty, and new campaign techniques designed to mobilize voters. They also pioneered the use of national nominating conventions, holding the first such convention in 1835. [21] By 1840, the Anti-Masonic Party had ceased functioning as a national organization, and its local chapters largely disappeared. Several former Anti-Masons, including William H. Seward, Thurlow Weed, and Thaddeus Stevens, later became prominent leaders in the Whig and Republican parties.

International affairs

In addition to maintaining connections with Masonic bodies in other countries, the Masonic movement functioned as a mechanism for international cooperation among national leaders and public figures. According to Joachim Berger, from the late nineteenth century onward, Masonic lodges played a significant role in efforts to establish lasting links between nations. Their activity was particularly notable during the period from 1914 to 1919, when leaders opposed to Germany worked to shape favorable public opinion toward former rivals who had become wartime allies. Masonic leaders in London and Paris were especially involved in promoting support for the Allied cause in the United States. In 1918, Freemasons also sought to build backing for the League of Nations, with New York lodges taking a prominent role. Although political discussions were formally prohibited during lodge meetings, Masonic networks brought together individuals with shared views who cooperated in promoting internationalist ideas beyond their local lodges.. [22]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Borneman, Henry S. Early Freemasonry in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: The Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania, 1931. Facsimile of letter in Appendix D.
  2. ↑ Barrat, Norris S. & Julius F. Sachse. Freemasonry in Pennsylvania, 1727-1907, As Shown by the Records of Lodge No. 2, F. & A.M. of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: New Era Printing Company, 1908. p. 3-4.
  3. ↑ "Home". Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina.
  4. ↑ "Freemasons of North Carolina". Freemasons of North Carolina.
  5. 1 2 Bicentennial Commemorative Volume of Holland Lodge No. 8, published by the Lodge, New York, 1988. pp 9-12
  6. ↑ Coil, Henry Wilson; "Massachusetts", pg. 412; Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia; publ. 1961, 1996, Richmond Va.
  7. ↑ Coil, Henry Wilson; "America, Freemasonry into", pg. 33; Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia"; publ. 1961, 1996, Richmond Va.
  8. ↑ Albert Gallatin Mackey, The History of Freemasonry, Vol. 6 (Masonic History Co., NY, 1898) membership by state p 1485; online
  9. ↑ Ronald P. Formisano, For the People: American populist movements from the revolution to the 1850s (2008) p. 96.
  10. ↑ Milton Arrieta-López, "Freemasonry in Colombia (18th-19th centuries): French or continental origin, leading Freemasons, the Catholic Church, political parties and revolutionary elements in South America." Perseitas (2020) online.
  11. ↑ Mark C. Carnes, Secret ritual and manhood in Victorian America (Yale UP, 1989).
  12. ↑ Quoted in Lynn Dumeni, Freemasonry and American culture 1880-1930 (1984) p 169
  13. ↑ Hackett, That Religion in Which All Men Agree: Freemasonry in American Culture (2015) pp 122-123.
  14. ↑ Peter P. Hinks and Stephen Kantrowitz eds., All Men Free and Brethren: Essays on the History of African American Freemasonry (Cornell University Press, 2013).
  15. ↑ "Prince Hall Freemasonry". Freemason Information. 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  16. ↑ David G. Hackett, That Religion in Which All Men Agree: Freemasonry in American Culture (U. of California Press, 2015) pp 151–174.
  17. ↑ Dickey, Colin (July 11, 2023). "The Masonic Murder That Inspired the First Third Party in American Politics". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  18. ↑ Steven C. Bullock, Revolutionary brotherhood: Freemasonry and the transformation of the American social order, 1730-1840 (1996) p. 225-229, quoting p. 229.
  19. ↑ Sean Wilentz, Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln (2005) p. 274.
  20. ↑ Formisano, p. 107.
  21. ↑ Laura Ellyn Smith, "Anti-Jacksonian democratization: the first national political party conventions." American Nineteenth Century History (2020) 21#2 pp 149-169.
  22. ↑ Joachim Berger, "The great divide: Transatlantic brothering and masonic internationalism, c. 1870–c. 1930." Atlantic Studies 16.3 (2019): 405-422.

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