The American Freemasons

From George Washington to Dan Brown's latest novel, The Lost Symbol, Freemasonry has influenced the history and thinking of the United States in many surprising ways. Almost half of the world's six million freemasons live in America, it is no wonder that the organization has had a stronger influence on the country than any other state. This book, which attempts to uncover the power that Freemasonry represents in the USA, provides an insight into the American history of the movement from the colonial period to the present day, revealing its interesting and often terrifying history. Since Benjamin Franklin midwifed the foundation of the first American lodge in Philadelphia, twenty-five American presidents - including George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt - and thirty-five Supreme Court members - such as Earl Warren and Thurgood Marshall - have emerged from the ranks of masons. H. Paul Jeffers examines the hostile relationship between the organization and the Catholic Church, and also explains why the latter forbade its adherents to join the ranks of Masonry. Jeffers shows how the Masonic spirit is present in the basic documents of the USA, and also describes the controversial history of the Knights Templar - from the Crusades to The Da Vinci Code. We can also get a lot of information about black masonry. Using old anecdotes and analysis, the book separates the myths surrounding Freemasonry from the facts, presenting the past, present and future of American Freemasonry in a unique way.