No matter where you go in the Western world, if you’re
observant, you’ll notice that Freemasonry has left its mark. It seems every
village, town, and city has some connection to the Craft – and that is
because, in fact, many do.
I grew up near a town whose population has historically
stayed around 850 people, and where the outlying municipality hosts a
population of 2000 in a district that covers 784 square miles. In other
words, there’s a lot of space and not many people. Nevertheless, the local
Lodge register shows some impressive numbers; 74 members in 1900, almost 200
by 1920, and in 1940 the count stood at 275. From 1961 to 1980 the Masonic
Lodge showed 425 men on the roster.
Although my town’s Lodge disbanded a few years ago, its
impact on the community was palpable. Over the decades, mayors and town
councilmen have taken part in the rituals, as had a significant number of
businessmen. In conversations with a few old timers, including Freemasons,
it was clear that my town’s existence had been greatly influenced by this
group; sometimes through acts of benevolence, other times by quiet
agreements between Brothers, and occasionally under clouds of controversy.
Most men in my district, I believe, joined out of social or business
interests, and it’s unlikely that more than a handful grasped the deeper
principles of the Craft – and not one, as far as I know, ever became a
nationally recognized Masonic figurehead, philosopher, or historian.
My town was representative of hundreds of similar
communities, with its Lodge being a tiny part of a worldwide fraternity - a
“Brotherhood” of men from every corner of the globe and every walk of life.
This larger Brotherhood extends backwards in time too, as English
Freemasonry has its official beginning in 1717 and French Freemasonry in
1733. And according to some Masonic philosophers, its history reaches into
the distant recesses of early-European and Middle Eastern cultures.
Indeed, the ancient roots of the Craft have been discussed
and debated, with many prominent Masons pointing to linkages between their
Order and Old Testament personalities and events, mystical Jewish legends,
and Egyptian belief systems.[2] During
the 18th century it was widely held that “Masonry was instituted at the
Tower of Babel by Nimrod and thence spread to the Chaldeans.”[3]
Speculation abounds, yet one cannot ignore the symbolic linkage with
the ancient world.
The role of Freemasonry as an historical driver for
internationalism is important too. Jessica Harland-Jacobs, author of
Builders of Empire, demonstrates
the bond between British colonialism and Freemasonry, noting that wherever
the Empire went the Masonic Lodge was sure to go. In this imperil-Masonic
ballet and its subsequent world-spanning network, Harland-Jacobs sees the
beginnings of modern globalism.
“Examining the history of Freemasonry, I argue, presents
an excellent way to evaluate the contribution of cultural institutions
to the historical process of globalization. Freemasons established one
of the first global institutional networks that not only linked farflung
Britons to one another but also brought Britons into contact with other
European imperialists as well as indigenous men throughout the formal
and informal empires.”[4]
She goes on to say,
“An analysis of Freemasonry makes it possible to
identify various characteristics that enable institutions to function on
a worldwide basis and promote globalization.”
[5]
Another point she makes is that Freemasonry’s tie with
Empire building allowed for the solidification of a supranational identity,
the transcendence of “national distinctions… even in a climate of
intense international rivalry.”[6]
Going beyond the British colonial experience, the idea of
supranational identity fits with what Albert Pike famously wrote in 1871.
Pike, the American father of the modern Scottish Rite branch of
Freemasonry (Pike’ work with the existing Scottish Rite began in earnest in
1855), penned the following;
“The whole world is but one republic, of which each
nation is a family, and every individual a child.”[7]
This line has been repeated by other Masonic personalities,
including J.D. Buck, who viewed this as one of the geniuses of the
Craft.[8] Many other Masonic
scholars, authors, and philosophers speak to the internationalism of
the Brotherhood and the subsequent quest for world unity,
including Manly P. Hall, who voiced the need for global interdependence:
“For this age we must have a doctrine of
synthesis, a code actuated and dominated by the spirit of
unification.”[9]
Freemasonry’s influence at the national level is another
significant aspect of the Craft’s reach, and the British historical
experience is rife with domestic examples.[10]
Furthermore, important and often controversial Masonic connections
are observable throughout the nations of Europe, including France and Italy.
In the Western Hemisphere the Lodge has been an important
player too. Brazil and Venezuela are historically tied to the Craft.
Mexico has a long Masonic past, with a Masonic War between the Scottish
and York Rite,[11] and then the
Civil War with opposing Masonic and Catholic lines during the first part
of the last century. But it’s in the United States of America where we see
the grandest examples of the Lodge working within the early domestic story.
First, we need to be clear. It has loosely been said that
“all” of America’s founding fathers were members of the Masonic Lodge.
Wrong. Some were, it is true, and many were not. Nevertheless, it must be
noted that Freemasons were involved in the founding of America, including
the first celebrated act of British resistance: The Boston Tea Party.
“The revolution against the British oppressors had begun in
a warehouse owned by a Mason,” explains historian David Ovason, “and the
group which had participated in the Boston Tea Party, in 1773, had been
composed largely of Masons.”[12]
This isn’t to say that Freemasonry ruled the Revolution,
just that members of the Lodge played an important role in fermenting the
rebellion. At the same time, we need to keep in mind that Masons and
non-Masons alike both supported and condemned America’s split from England.
In noting the above, it’s interesting to see the
documentable numbers regarding those who signed Americas founding documents,
and the composition of George Washington’s staff in the Continental Army.
Consider the following breakdown given by the Masonic Service Association.
Note: “Confirmed” means the person was a verified member of
the Lodge through official documentation. “Unconfirmed” means that the
person’s status is in question, yet the possibility of membership exists as
hints are found in family sources, non-verified records, or tradition. “No
affiliation” means that the Masonic Service Association discovered no
personal connection with the Lodge during its research.
| |
Confirmed |
Unconfirmed |
No Affiliation |
| Generals of Continental
Army: [13] |
33 |
15 |
26 |
| Cont. Army Aides and
Secretaries: [14]
|
6 |
6 |
22 |
| Articles of Association:
[15] |
10
|
9
|
34 |
| Articles of Confederation:
[17] |
7 |
8 |
33 |
|
Constitution of the United States:
[18] |
13 |
5 |
19 |
The Masonic membership of George Washington, the first US
President, is also noteworthy. Again, the following data is extracted from
the work of Ronald E. Heaton, Masonic
Membership of the General Officers of the Continental Army
(The Masonic Service Association, 1960).
- Received his first three degrees in the “Lodge at
Fredericksburgh,” Virginia. November 4, 1752, Entered Apprentice.
- “On December 20, 1779, Washington was proposed as
Grand Master of the United States, by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania,
and a second proposal was made on January 13, 1780. On December 27,
1779, the American Union Lodge, at Morristown, New Jersey, led a
convention to organize a National Grand Lodge, with George Washington as
Grand Master.” (p.3) Apparently George Washington turned down this
request.
- “Washington was named the first or Charter Master of
Alexandria Lodge No. 39, on April 28, 1788, to serve to December 20, and
was re-elected, serving in all twenty months. This Lodge No. 39 was then
under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania; it is now
Washington-Alexandria Lodge No. 22, of the Grand Lodge of Virginia.”
(p.3)
- “On March 6, 1789, Washington was made an honorary
member of Holland Lodge (now Lodge No. 8) of New York, ‘in consideration
of the Masonic virtues which distinguished him’.”(pp.3-4)
- “On September 18, 1783, Washington laid the
cornerstone of the National Capitol in Washington, in what has been said
to be the greatest public Masonic occasion in American history.
Washington, Master Mason, President of the United
States, and America’s first citizen, laid the cornerstone of the Capitol
of the United States, with full Masonic ceremonies, in concert with the
Grand Lodge of Maryland, several lodges under its jurisdiction, and
Lodge No.22, from Alexandria, Virginia.” (p.4)
