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2012 Charles A. Sankey Lecture in Masonic Studies: "In the 50 years after 1776, American Freemasonry grew dramatically — and upstate New York lay at its center. Upstate brothers did more than help the fraternity grow. They also
transformed it, leading the way as Masons reshaped their rituals, developed new degrees, and shaped a growing belief that their fraternity had deep religious significance. Having
helped remake the post-Revolutionary fraternity, upstate brothers also set off the incidents that led to its downfall. In 1826, when Americans were celebrating the 50th anniversary of their independence, rogue Freemasons kidnapped William Morgan, a man who had planned to publish the fraternity's rituals. The results of this relatively small event were remarkable, a dramatic (if only temporary) decline in the fraternity and an equally extraordinary shift in American culture and public life—changes that brought an end to the period when upstate New York stood at the centre of the fraternity."
Dr. Bullock is professor of history at Worcester Polytechnic
Institute and author of _Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730-1840_.
Lecture presented at Brock University, Sunday 6 May 2012, 3pm, in the David S. Howes Theatre. Tickets are free, but must be booked in advance through the box office.
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