American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities [Hardcover]

Mark A. Tabbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2005

With over four million members worldwide, and two million in the U.S., Freemasonry is the largest fraternal organization in the world. Published in conjunction with the National Heritage Museum, this extravagantly illustrated volume offers an overview of Freemasonry's origins in seventeenth-century Scotland and England before exploring its evolving role in American history, from the Revolution through the labor and civil rights movements, and into the twenty-first century. American Freemasons explores some of the causes for the rise and fall of membership in the fraternity and why it has attracted men in such large numbers for centuries.

American Freemasons is the perfect introduction to understanding a society that, while shrouded in mystery, has played an integral role in the lives and communities of millions of Americans.

Copublished with the National Heritage Museum

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This slender history begs the question: who is really qualified to write about secret societies? Tabbert, a Master Mason, doubts the "ability" of non-Mason historians to "fully understand the craft" since they "have not actually witnessed the rituals performed" within the society. His personal investment, however, makes his volume sound so defensive at times, even emotive, that his lavishly illustrated history of U.S. Masonry-from its Revolutionary origins to its currently moribund dotage-reads more like an apology for, or a love letter to, the society than a work of measured, scholarly rigor. The opening chapter recounts, in compelling detail, Masonry's European germination in the hotbed of the Enlightenment. But the second chapter initiates Tabbert's book-long habit of overstating Masonry's centrality to U.S. history-and its virtue. For example, while the "quarrelsome man" who threatened to publicly expose Masonic rituals in 1826 is vilified as a "restless, jack-of-all trades drifter," the faceless criminals who kidnapped and killed him (severely tarnishing Freemasonry's reputation in America) are given the author's reprieve: "What actually happened remains a mystery, but most likely he was killed by his abductors either accidentally or in a fit of passion." The book makes a strong case for the Masons' outward missions of civility, charity and community-building. Also notable is its attention to the Prince Hall Order of African-Americans. Yet can the institution's 40-year decline in membership really be blamed on such "social earthquakes" as television, shopping malls, "teenage drug use and pregnancy"? Maybe the lodge is an "anachronism," as Tabbert says, but his claim that Masons "are almost completely incapable of entering into a conspiracy (except to do good) or keeping a secret (except in hiding private acts of kindness)" appears disingenuous nonetheless.
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Review

“Visually, this is an attractive book: large format, profusely illustrated, just on the right side of coffee-table-ish.”
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“The real history of Freemasonry is arguably more interesting than all the tales woven about it.”
-U.S. News & World Report

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“Tabbert, curator of the National Heritage Museum and master of a Masonic lodge in Massachusetts, writes from the inside out, offering an interesting overview of the history of Freemasonry and its attributes.”
-Choice, Recommended

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“This beautifully-illustrated book is the best introduction to the Masonic past now available for brothers and for curious outsiders.”
-Steven C. Bullock,author of Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730-1840

“From colonial times to the present, Masons have always been central to community life in America. Mark Tabbert tells their story in a fresh and arresting way. . . . This informative and visually delightful book introduces us to a vital aspect of our nation's civic history.”
-Theda Skocpol,Harvard University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press; Second Printing edition (June 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814782922
• ISBN-13: 978-0814782927
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #605,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of American Freemasonry!, January 22, 2006

By 

Howard Upton (Hope, AR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities (Hardcover)

Mr. Tabbert presents an effective and intriguing look into the fabric that is American freemasonry. A society with secrets, but more importantly a brotherhood of philanthropy, freemasons helped shaped early America into the wonderful country that it is today. Tabbert shares the good, bad and ugly that is, and was, freemasonry.

The author takes into consideration his reader and doesn't shroud his writting so that a non-mason could not understand its (masonry) history. This is extremely important for someone to know that may not pick this book up because he/she is afraid that it doesn't contain a true depiction of the fraternity.

Tabbert's intent is clear from the beginning--share with the reader a history that doesn't hide anything (as many historical texts often do), and present something he is obviously passionate about with the world.

If you are intersted in the history of masonry in America, please don't hesitate to add this book to your library! It truly is a great investment.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine addition for all Masonic libraries, June 23, 2005

By 

Bruce Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities (Hardcover)

Mark Tabbert has done a fine job exploring the evolution of Freemasonry in America and giving us a small glimpse of its possible future. It is obvious that he has great affection for the "craft" but its very refreshing to see that he has taken the time to respectfully recognize the ties Masonry has had in the development of other fraternal orders and their organizational descendants. There is no mysticism here, only clear documented history and analysis (coupled with outstanding illustrations) which should be of interest to Masons and non-Masons alike who are truly interested in learning more about the world's oldest "secret" fraternity.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Illustrated and Comprehensive. Highly Recommended., July 22, 2005

By 

Pierre Normand (College Station, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully illustrated book. The dust jacket is the colorful Allyn Cox mural of "George Washington Laying the Cornerstone for the National Capitol." Its hard to believe this is available for only $19 and change.

The author's expertise as a Museum curator is readily apparent, as looking through this book is like walking through a comprehensive museum of American Freemasonry. The pages are filled with photos of old Masonic prints, glassware, Knight Templar swords, fraternal regalia, ceramics, jewels and medallions, embroidered banners, stained glass windows, old postcards of Masonic Temples and Lodge buildings, stage settings and costumes, pocket watches, Masonic furniture, altars, working tools and trestleboards. Its a visual treat.

However, the best thing about this book is that it is without a doubt the best book on the market to explain the history of American Freemasonry to both the Mason and non-Mason alike. For the Mason, it will introduce him to many aspects of Masonic history that he was not aware of. For the non-Mason, it will give him or her a comprehensive view from Freemasonry's beginnings in Europe, through the American Revolution, up to the present day.

Unafraid to venture into the controversial, Tabbert even has a chapter that deals with the anti-Masonic period of the late 1820's and 1830's, as well as the fundamentalist anti-Masonry of the 1990's.

If some have felt that Tabbert is an apologist for the Masonic fraternity, it is only because he, as a historian, has not added to the mass of nonsense written by anti-Masons and conspiracy theorists. As a professional Museum curator, Tabbert has stuck to historical facts and that will naturally place his book on a higher plane than many of the more sensational books on the subject.

A well-documented work, the book has 31 pages of endnotes and references which provide a wealth of additional information for the serious reader.

This is one of the most highly recommended books on American Freemasonry to come available in the last decade.