Revolutionary brotherhood : Freemasonry and the transformation of the American social order, 1730-1840 / :Steven C. Bullock.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bullock, Steven C.

Contributor:

Institute of Early American History and Culture (Williamsburg, Va.), Content Provider.

Series:

Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, Williamsburg, Virginia

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Freemasonry--History--18th century--United States.

Freemasonry.

Freemasonry--History--19th century--United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xviii, 421 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill : The University of North Carolina Press, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In the first comprehensive history of the fraternity known to outsiders primarily for its secrecy and rituals, Steven Bullock traces Freemasonry through its first century in America. He follows the order from its origins in Britain and its introduction into North America in the 1730s to its near-destruction by a massive anti-Masonic movement almost a century later and its subsequent reconfiguration into the brotherhood we know today. With a membership that included Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Paul Revere, and Andrew Jackson, Freemasonry is fascinating in its own right, but Bullock also places the movement at the center of the transformation of American society and culture from the colonial era to the rise of Jacksonian democracy. Using lodge records, members' reminiscences and correspondence, and local and Masonic histories, Bullock links Freemasonry with the changing ideals of early American society. Although the fraternity began among colonial elites, its spread during the Revolution and afterward allowed it to play an important role in shaping the new nation's ideas of liberty and equality. Ironically, however, the more inclusive and universalist Masonic ideas became, the more threatening its members' economic and emotional bonds seemed to outsiders, sparking an explosive attack on the fraternity after 1826. American History

Contents:

Contents; Acknowledgments; List of Illustrations; List of Tables; Introduction. Understanding Salem Town's Fraternity; Part One. Colonial Masonry; Chapter One: Newton and Necromancy: The Creation of the Masonic Fraternity; I. The Remains of the Mysterys of the Ancients; II. The Augustan Style; III. An Honour Much Courted of Late; Chapter Two: The Appearance of So Many Gentlemen: Masonry and Colonial Elites, 1730-1776; I. The United Party for Virtue; II. The Greatest Order and Regularity; III. A Very Harmless Sort of People; Part Two. The Revolutionary Transformation

Chapter Three: Where Is Honour? The Rise of Ancient Masonry, 1752-1792; I. The Good Old Way; II. The Mason's Arms; III. The Country People; Chapter Four: According to Their Rank: Masonry and the Revolution, 1775-1792; I. Great Trubles amonge Masons; II. Free and Independent; III. The Cares and Fatigues of the Soldier's Life; Part Three. Republican Masonry; Chapter Five: A New Order for the Ages: Public Values, 1790-1826; I. Temples of Virtue; II. The Great Instrument of Civilization; III. Around the Enlightened World; Chapter Six: An Appearance of Sanctity: Religion, 1790-1826

I. Neutral Ground; II. Dedicated to the Worship of God; III. Spiritual Masonry; IV. Cavils, Objections, and Calumnies; Chapter Seven: Preference in Many Particulars: Charity and Commerce, 1790-1826; I. The Most Charitable and Benevolent of the Human Race; II. Bound to Regard You as a Mason; Chapter Eight: In Almost Every Place Where Power Is of Importance: Politics, 1790-1826; I. The Most Influential and Respectable Men; II. We Have Nothing to Do with Politics; III. Men of All Parts of the Union Mingling Together; Chapter Nine: Into the Secret Place: Organization and Sacrilization, 1790-1826

I. The Lodge of Instruction; II. The Rugged Road; III. The Thick Veil; Part Four. Masonry and Democracy; Chapter Ten: The Lion and the Crows: Antimasonry, 1826-1840; I. The Concentration of Great Numbers on a Single Point; II. A Stupendous Mirror; III. These Desperate Fanatics; Epilogue. Losing the Right to Reverence: Masonry's Decline and Revival; A Note on Masonic Sources; Notes; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliography and index.

ISBN:

979-88-908740-1-6

979-88-908740-2-3

1-4696-0348-9