Freemasonry, slavery and abolition: a transcontinental perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/7zm7xm79Keywords:
Planters , Lodges, Emancipation, Racism, TransatlanticAbstract
This article examines how Freemasonry, slavery, and abolition were interconnected across continents. It discusses the role of maritime routes in spreading Masonic networks and establishing new lodges. Anderson’s Constitutions prohibited enslaved individuals from joining Freemasonry, a rule that was applied with racist intent in most North American Grand Lodges. The study compares perspectives in Britain, France, and the United States, highlighting differences rooted in economic, religious, and political contexts. Ultimately, the article reflects on the contradictions between Masonic principles and the realities of slavery, and how transatlantic relationships shaped these tensions during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
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