Description
Book SynopsisFreighted with the mythical legacies of stonemasons' guilds and the Newtonian revolution, English Freemasonry arrived in colonial America with a vast array of cultural baggage. This book shows how Freemasonry has contributed to a broader understanding of the multiple influences that have shaped religion in American culture.
Trade Review"A scholarly work, it is easily read but fully documented with an exhaustive index, huge bibliography, and complete footnotes. Don't miss this one for sure!" -- Ed King, Grand Librarian Grand Lodge of Maine "A vital contribution to understanding the development of religious liberty in the foundation of the US." CHOICE "This study of "Freemasonry in American Culture" offers a new perspective on the evolution of American society over more than two centuries. With its impeccable historical scholarship, the volume provides an important insight into the public sphere and an alternative to Habermas's assumptions about the inherent secularity of public culture with the rise of bourgeois society." -- Bryan S. Turner Critical Research on Religion "The book is particularly strong in its careful attention to historical self-understanding, myth and narrative, historical symbolism, and temporality. Future research on Freemasonry will benefit greatly from it." -- Matthew Crow Journal of Interdisciplinary History "Not only engaging, but also adds significantly to our understanding of Prince Hall Masonry and the African American Church, Freemasonry and Native Americans, and Jews and Catholics." -- Clyde R. Forsberg, Jr. American Historical Review "This is a fine study. Extensive in scope and lucidly written ... Breaks new ground." -- R. William Weisberger The Journal of American History
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction PART ONE. EUROPEAN AMERICAN FREEMASONRY 1. Colonial Freemasonry and Polite Society, 1733--1776 2. Revolutionary Masonry: Republican and Christian, 1757--1825 3. A Private World of Ritual, 1797--1825 00 4. Anti-Masonry and the Public Sphere, 1826--1850 5. Gender, Protestants, and Freemasonry, 1850--1920 PART TWO. BEYOND THE WHITE PROTESTANT MIDDLE CLASS 6. The Prince Hall Masons and the African American Church: The Labors of Grand Master and Bishop James Walker Hood, 1864--1918 7. Freemasonry and Native Americans, 1776--1920 8. Jews and Catholics, 1723--1920 Epilogue Notes Index
