Freemasonry emerged from medieval stonemason guilds, transforming into a fraternal Corporation centered on moral development as a result of symbolic teachings and elaborate rituals. The formal institution from the Grand Lodge of London in 1717 marked the beginning of recent Freemasonry, which distribute rapidly across Europe along with the Americas

Quite a few newspapers and community figures engaged in witch-hunts exactly where they accused meant Southern sympathizers, like President Franklin Pierce, of being customers in the Knights of the Golden Circle. Compared with most secret societies, the Golden Circle didn’t just concern itself with clandestine conferences and mysterious designs. I