American Freemasons
What’s a Mason? The answer is simple. A Mason (or Freemason) is a member of a fraternity known as Masonry (or Freemasonry). Freemasonry is the oldest fraternity in the world. No one knows just how old it is because the actual origins have been lost in time. It is thought to have descended from medieval stonemason guilds (Tolson). These stonemason guilds built the castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages. Possibly influenced by the Knights Templar, a group of Christian warrior monks formed in 1118 to help protect pilgrims making trips to the Holy Land (Masonic Information Center). One thing is known; Freemasons played a major role in the formation of our young nation.
In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization in England when the first Grand Lodge was formed (Masonic Information Center 3). A Grand Lodge is the administrative body in charge of Masonry in some geographical areas. According to the Masonic Information Center, in the United States, there is a Grand Lodge in each state and in the District of Columbia. In Canada, there is a Grand Lodge in each Province. Local organizations of Masons are called lodges. There are lodges in most towns, and large cities usually have several. There are about 13,200 lodges in the United States (Masonic Information Center 3).
Freemasonry was brought from Great Britain to the American colonies before the 1717 formation of the first Grand Lodge (Tabbert 33). According to Tabbert, the first recorded Mason in America was John Skene, who became a member of Old Aberdeen Lodge in Scotland. He emigrated from Scotland and settled in 1682 near what is now Burlington, New Jersey. “Skene went on to serve as deputy governor of West Jersey from 1685 until his death in 1690” (Tabbert 33). The first American-born Mason is believed to have been Jonathan Belcher, who lived from 1681 to 1757. Belcher, who was thought to have been made a Mason when he was in London in 1704, was appointed the royal governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1730 (Tabbert 33).
The expansion of British immigration to and trade with the colonies played a key role in establishing American colonial Masonic lodges. According to Tabbert, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Georgia hold important distinction. Pennsylvania’s preeminence derives from a 1730 edition of Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette that reported, “there are several lodges if Free Mason erected in this province.” Franklin became a Mason in a lodge at Philadelphia’s Tun Tavern in 1731 (33). The first chartered lodge in the United States was Boston’s St. John’s Lodge, which appeared on the 1733 register of the first, or “Modern,” grand lodge as number 126 (Tabbert 34).
By the late 1740s, Masonic lodges operated in most major communities along America’s eastern coast. The relationship between American Freemasonry and American Society during the mid-1700s can be seen through the lives and communities of four important American Masons: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Paul Revere and Prince Hall. These men and their contemporaries used Masonry to demonstrate a “transformation from a hierarchical society of superiors and inferiors to a republican society of independent citizens” (Tabbert 34).
Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) was a Boston-born printer, scientist, inventor, politician, diplomat and sage. His migration from Boston to Philadelphia and quick rise to the highest social, intellectual and political circles remains to this day a model for the American dream. As part of his ascent, Franklin joined a Masonic lodge in the Pennsylvania colony and published the first Masonic book in America in 1734 (Tabbert 35). He was elected Provincial Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in 1734, and in 1755 participated in the dedication of America’s first Masonic Hall in Philadelphia (Tabbert 35).
Unlike Franklin, George Washington (1732-99) was born into a leading Virginia family. While Franklins focus seemed to be on creating new community institutions, Washington preferred to maintain and build upon the establishments of his forefathers (Tabbert 36). According to Tabbert, Washington became a Mason at an early age in a lodge at Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1752. In 1758, he was elected to Virginia’s House of Burgesses. Washington married the wealthy widow, Martha Custis, and settled down as a respected landowner, retied soldier, representative in the House of Burgesses and member of the vestry of his church (36).
“Washington’s Masonic membership, like his public titles, was part of a range of necessary duties expected from a man of his social status and political influence. At the time, Masonic membership was restricted to the colony’s most honorable and respected gentlemen” (Tabbert 36). While emphasis within the lodge room might be devoted to improving a man and creating equality among its members, at the time of Washington, the same was not the practice. According to Tabbert in his book American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Community, “Lodge members may have wished to create a more tolerant and benevolent society among their class, but they were not directly concerned with allowing lower-class men join the fraternity to improve themselves any more than they were with universal male suffrage.” (36-37)
Poorer and socially less prominent than either Franklin or Washington, Paul Revere (1735-1818) spent his entire life in Massachusetts. He was the son of an artisan (Tabbert 37). This would have greatly reduced his prospect in the society of colonial Boston. However, “Revere was recognized as a highly talented silversmith and a trustworthy businessman. His desire to improve his standing in the community led him to participate in many social clubs and political committees” (Tabbert 37) Paul Revere became a Mason in 1760 in Boston’s Lodge of St. Andrew. He served as the lodge Secretary and went on to become Master of the Lodge. In 1794, he rose to become Grand Master of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge. During the three-years he served as Grand Master, Revere chartered 23 new lodges, nearly doubling the number of lodges in Massachusetts. (Tabbert 37)
Unlike Franklin or Washington, Revere considered his participation in Masonry to be a means of establishing himself in Boston society as an individual as well as a businessman. “Paul Revere saw Freemasonry as a step toward both self-improvement and social advancement.” (Tabbert 33) He and other men like him learned the art of rhetoric and public speaking through the steady practice of the recitation of the Masonic rituals and lectures. They learned business and political skills by organizing and supervising meetings.
Little is known about Prince Hall (1735?-1807). He was probably born into Slavery. It is believed that he received his freedom in 1770 and established a leather dressing shop in Boston (Tarbbert 38). Hall became a Mason in 1775. “On March 6, 1775, during the British embargo and occupation of Boston, Hall and 14 other black men were initiated into the craft by lodge No. 441, a British military lodge attached to the 38th Regiment of Foot” (Trabbert 38). Prince Hall and his Masonic brothers continued to meet throughout the American Revolution. By 1784, these black Masons received a charter from the Grand Lodge in England to meet as African Lodge No. 459 (Trabbert 38). Prince Hall served as the first Master of the Lodge. Hall went on to charter other African-American lodges. After the death of Prince Hall, African-American lodges chose to call their organizations “Prince Hall Freemasonry”. This tradition continues to this day.
The commencement of the American Revolution in 1775 transformed all aspects of colonial life. Freemasonry was no exception. Freemasons from different lodges served with the Sins of Liberty (Tarbbert 39).
“While George Washington commanded the Continental Army, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere and Prince Hall all found their own way to serve the revolutionary cause. Franklin was sent to Paris to convince France to aid the rebellion. While there, he renewed his intrest in Freemasonry and joined a preeminent French loge, Loge des Neufs Soeurs. He served as its master and participated in Masonic initiation of Voltaire in 1778. Along with securing French support, franklin also met young aristocrat and brother Mason, Marquis de Lafayette, and assisted him on his journey back to America in 1780. Paul Revere remained in Massachusetts, where he served as an artillery officer, made gunpowder, and cast cannons for the Continental Army. Little is known about Prince Hall’s activities during the war, but he did make leather drumheads for a Massachusetts regiment and organized partitions on the Massachusetts legislature seeking to abolish slavery.” (Tarbbert 41-42)
The movement toward American independence that began in revolution eventually led to the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1789. Masons played a prominent role in this process. “Nine of the 48 signers of the Articles of Confederation were Freemasons, as were 13 of the 39 signers of the Constitution.” (Trabbert 42-43) Several Freemasons accepted positions in all branches of government for the new nation. George Washington received the presidential oath of office on a Bible borrowed from New York City’s St. John Lodge No. 1. Freemason John A.C. Muhlenberg was elected the first Speaker if the U.S. House of Representatives, Freemasons John J. Blair and William Cushing were among the first justices if the U.S. Supreme Court. (Trabbert 43)
Freemasonry was in harmony with the ideals of the new American republic. The fraternity’s principles and symbols became incorporated into early American culture. “Freemasonry’s prestige and social acceptance reached a pinnacle when the cornerstone for the U.S. Capital was laid in 1793. Wearing Masonic regalia, President George Washington led a procession to the top of Capitol Hill. He was accompanied by stonemasons, military units, government officials, brother Masons, and common citizens. During the Masonic ceremony, the stone was tried by the plumb, level and square and was symbolically blessed with corn (representing plenty), wine (happiness), and oil (peace). Using a Masonic trowel, Washington spread the cement that would unite the building into one common mass and bring all Americans together as one common people.” (Trabbert 44).
Freemasonry Today
Freemasons and all Americans witnessed stark changes during the 20th century, particularly during the last 35 years. The growth of the consumer economy of the 1920s, the role of government in the 1930s, and the changing foreign policy of the 1940s reached their limits in the 1970s. Industrial cities that were once the lifeline of the economy had rusted as corporations sent jobs overseas and Japan manufactured higher-quality products. Despite the best of intentions, the United States withdrew from Vietnam, Watergate consumed President Nixon, and government programs failed to bring victory to the war on poverty or drugs. The dynamics of the American family began to change. The divorce rate increased, more wives went into the work force and more husbands cooked, cleaned and raised children. In the 1980a and 1990s, the nation reasserted its role on the global stage and enjoyed a renewed prosperity. Sadly, civic life declined as people spent more time alone in front of their television or computer screen.
This shift had an even greater impact on Freemasonry. Membership nationwide dropped by over 61% from 1959 to 2005 (Masonic Service Association). Many large Masonic buildings became difficult to maintain. The fraternity, like the nation, became burdened by the decisions of the past. Older Masons dutifully served their lodges and liberally contributed to Masonic charities, but many failed to inspire their sons to join the fraternity. The craft’s troubles were further compounded by anti-Masonic attacks from the political left and the religious right. Despite all this, the Grand Lodge of Washington constituted a new Grand Lodge in Alaska in 1981 and the Grand Lodge of California constituted a new grand lodge in Hawaii in 1989. More importantly, many grand lodges and Prince Hall grand lodges officially recognized each other, and the philanthropic efforts of Masonic organizations have reached extraordinary heights. Despite the fading of Masonic lodges from many American communities, we Freemasons continue to practice the virtue of charity.
Works Cited
Masonic Information Center. What’s a Mason? Maryland: Masonic Information Center, 1993.
Tolson, Jay. “Inside the Masons.” US News & World Report Sep. 5, 2005
Tabbert, Mark A. American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities. Massachusetts: National Heritage Museum, 2005
Masonic Service Association. Masonic Membership Statistics. 12 Dec 2007
In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization in England when the first Grand Lodge was formed (Masonic Information Center 3). A Grand Lodge is the administrative body in charge of Masonry in some geographical areas. According to the Masonic Information Center, in the United States, there is a Grand Lodge in each state and in the District of Columbia. In Canada, there is a Grand Lodge in each Province. Local organizations of Masons are called lodges. There are lodges in most towns, and large cities usually have several. There are about 13,200 lodges in the United States (Masonic Information Center 3).
Freemasonry was brought from Great Britain to the American colonies before the 1717 formation of the first Grand Lodge (Tabbert 33). According to Tabbert, the first recorded Mason in America was John Skene, who became a member of Old Aberdeen Lodge in Scotland. He emigrated from Scotland and settled in 1682 near what is now Burlington, New Jersey. “Skene went on to serve as deputy governor of West Jersey from 1685 until his death in 1690” (Tabbert 33). The first American-born Mason is believed to have been Jonathan Belcher, who lived from 1681 to 1757. Belcher, who was thought to have been made a Mason when he was in London in 1704, was appointed the royal governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1730 (Tabbert 33).
The expansion of British immigration to and trade with the colonies played a key role in establishing American colonial Masonic lodges. According to Tabbert, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Georgia hold important distinction. Pennsylvania’s preeminence derives from a 1730 edition of Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette that reported, “there are several lodges if Free Mason erected in this province.” Franklin became a Mason in a lodge at Philadelphia’s Tun Tavern in 1731 (33). The first chartered lodge in the United States was Boston’s St. John’s Lodge, which appeared on the 1733 register of the first, or “Modern,” grand lodge as number 126 (Tabbert 34).
By the late 1740s, Masonic lodges operated in most major communities along America’s eastern coast. The relationship between American Freemasonry and American Society during the mid-1700s can be seen through the lives and communities of four important American Masons: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Paul Revere and Prince Hall. These men and their contemporaries used Masonry to demonstrate a “transformation from a hierarchical society of superiors and inferiors to a republican society of independent citizens” (Tabbert 34).
Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) was a Boston-born printer, scientist, inventor, politician, diplomat and sage. His migration from Boston to Philadelphia and quick rise to the highest social, intellectual and political circles remains to this day a model for the American dream. As part of his ascent, Franklin joined a Masonic lodge in the Pennsylvania colony and published the first Masonic book in America in 1734 (Tabbert 35). He was elected Provincial Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in 1734, and in 1755 participated in the dedication of America’s first Masonic Hall in Philadelphia (Tabbert 35).
Unlike Franklin, George Washington (1732-99) was born into a leading Virginia family. While Franklins focus seemed to be on creating new community institutions, Washington preferred to maintain and build upon the establishments of his forefathers (Tabbert 36). According to Tabbert, Washington became a Mason at an early age in a lodge at Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1752. In 1758, he was elected to Virginia’s House of Burgesses. Washington married the wealthy widow, Martha Custis, and settled down as a respected landowner, retied soldier, representative in the House of Burgesses and member of the vestry of his church (36).
“Washington’s Masonic membership, like his public titles, was part of a range of necessary duties expected from a man of his social status and political influence. At the time, Masonic membership was restricted to the colony’s most honorable and respected gentlemen” (Tabbert 36). While emphasis within the lodge room might be devoted to improving a man and creating equality among its members, at the time of Washington, the same was not the practice. According to Tabbert in his book American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Community, “Lodge members may have wished to create a more tolerant and benevolent society among their class, but they were not directly concerned with allowing lower-class men join the fraternity to improve themselves any more than they were with universal male suffrage.” (36-37)
Poorer and socially less prominent than either Franklin or Washington, Paul Revere (1735-1818) spent his entire life in Massachusetts. He was the son of an artisan (Tabbert 37). This would have greatly reduced his prospect in the society of colonial Boston. However, “Revere was recognized as a highly talented silversmith and a trustworthy businessman. His desire to improve his standing in the community led him to participate in many social clubs and political committees” (Tabbert 37) Paul Revere became a Mason in 1760 in Boston’s Lodge of St. Andrew. He served as the lodge Secretary and went on to become Master of the Lodge. In 1794, he rose to become Grand Master of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge. During the three-years he served as Grand Master, Revere chartered 23 new lodges, nearly doubling the number of lodges in Massachusetts. (Tabbert 37)
Unlike Franklin or Washington, Revere considered his participation in Masonry to be a means of establishing himself in Boston society as an individual as well as a businessman. “Paul Revere saw Freemasonry as a step toward both self-improvement and social advancement.” (Tabbert 33) He and other men like him learned the art of rhetoric and public speaking through the steady practice of the recitation of the Masonic rituals and lectures. They learned business and political skills by organizing and supervising meetings.
Little is known about Prince Hall (1735?-1807). He was probably born into Slavery. It is believed that he received his freedom in 1770 and established a leather dressing shop in Boston (Tarbbert 38). Hall became a Mason in 1775. “On March 6, 1775, during the British embargo and occupation of Boston, Hall and 14 other black men were initiated into the craft by lodge No. 441, a British military lodge attached to the 38th Regiment of Foot” (Trabbert 38). Prince Hall and his Masonic brothers continued to meet throughout the American Revolution. By 1784, these black Masons received a charter from the Grand Lodge in England to meet as African Lodge No. 459 (Trabbert 38). Prince Hall served as the first Master of the Lodge. Hall went on to charter other African-American lodges. After the death of Prince Hall, African-American lodges chose to call their organizations “Prince Hall Freemasonry”. This tradition continues to this day.
The commencement of the American Revolution in 1775 transformed all aspects of colonial life. Freemasonry was no exception. Freemasons from different lodges served with the Sins of Liberty (Tarbbert 39).
“While George Washington commanded the Continental Army, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere and Prince Hall all found their own way to serve the revolutionary cause. Franklin was sent to Paris to convince France to aid the rebellion. While there, he renewed his intrest in Freemasonry and joined a preeminent French loge, Loge des Neufs Soeurs. He served as its master and participated in Masonic initiation of Voltaire in 1778. Along with securing French support, franklin also met young aristocrat and brother Mason, Marquis de Lafayette, and assisted him on his journey back to America in 1780. Paul Revere remained in Massachusetts, where he served as an artillery officer, made gunpowder, and cast cannons for the Continental Army. Little is known about Prince Hall’s activities during the war, but he did make leather drumheads for a Massachusetts regiment and organized partitions on the Massachusetts legislature seeking to abolish slavery.” (Tarbbert 41-42)
The movement toward American independence that began in revolution eventually led to the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1789. Masons played a prominent role in this process. “Nine of the 48 signers of the Articles of Confederation were Freemasons, as were 13 of the 39 signers of the Constitution.” (Trabbert 42-43) Several Freemasons accepted positions in all branches of government for the new nation. George Washington received the presidential oath of office on a Bible borrowed from New York City’s St. John Lodge No. 1. Freemason John A.C. Muhlenberg was elected the first Speaker if the U.S. House of Representatives, Freemasons John J. Blair and William Cushing were among the first justices if the U.S. Supreme Court. (Trabbert 43)
Freemasonry was in harmony with the ideals of the new American republic. The fraternity’s principles and symbols became incorporated into early American culture. “Freemasonry’s prestige and social acceptance reached a pinnacle when the cornerstone for the U.S. Capital was laid in 1793. Wearing Masonic regalia, President George Washington led a procession to the top of Capitol Hill. He was accompanied by stonemasons, military units, government officials, brother Masons, and common citizens. During the Masonic ceremony, the stone was tried by the plumb, level and square and was symbolically blessed with corn (representing plenty), wine (happiness), and oil (peace). Using a Masonic trowel, Washington spread the cement that would unite the building into one common mass and bring all Americans together as one common people.” (Trabbert 44).
Freemasonry Today
Freemasons and all Americans witnessed stark changes during the 20th century, particularly during the last 35 years. The growth of the consumer economy of the 1920s, the role of government in the 1930s, and the changing foreign policy of the 1940s reached their limits in the 1970s. Industrial cities that were once the lifeline of the economy had rusted as corporations sent jobs overseas and Japan manufactured higher-quality products. Despite the best of intentions, the United States withdrew from Vietnam, Watergate consumed President Nixon, and government programs failed to bring victory to the war on poverty or drugs. The dynamics of the American family began to change. The divorce rate increased, more wives went into the work force and more husbands cooked, cleaned and raised children. In the 1980a and 1990s, the nation reasserted its role on the global stage and enjoyed a renewed prosperity. Sadly, civic life declined as people spent more time alone in front of their television or computer screen.
This shift had an even greater impact on Freemasonry. Membership nationwide dropped by over 61% from 1959 to 2005 (Masonic Service Association). Many large Masonic buildings became difficult to maintain. The fraternity, like the nation, became burdened by the decisions of the past. Older Masons dutifully served their lodges and liberally contributed to Masonic charities, but many failed to inspire their sons to join the fraternity. The craft’s troubles were further compounded by anti-Masonic attacks from the political left and the religious right. Despite all this, the Grand Lodge of Washington constituted a new Grand Lodge in Alaska in 1981 and the Grand Lodge of California constituted a new grand lodge in Hawaii in 1989. More importantly, many grand lodges and Prince Hall grand lodges officially recognized each other, and the philanthropic efforts of Masonic organizations have reached extraordinary heights. Despite the fading of Masonic lodges from many American communities, we Freemasons continue to practice the virtue of charity.
Works Cited
Masonic Information Center. What’s a Mason? Maryland: Masonic Information Center, 1993.
Tolson, Jay. “Inside the Masons.” US News & World Report Sep. 5, 2005
Tabbert, Mark A. American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities. Massachusetts: National Heritage Museum, 2005
Masonic Service Association. Masonic Membership Statistics. 12 Dec 2007
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