The Truth about the Founding Fathers and Freemasonry ~ Part 5

Today's the day you've all been waiting for! The day that we find out the truth about which of the Founding Fathers were Freemasons, and which of them weren't. The answers may surprise you!

Just so you understand how this works, this is a list of all the fellows who were labelled as Masons and their actual status in that matter.

*Neither John Adams nor his son John Quincy Adams were ever at anytime Freemasons. Both firmly denied any association with the later-to-become-infamous-group.

*Though George Washington was technically an American Freemason, he only entered a Mason lodge 2 to 3 times in his entire life. And that was in his early twenties. George Washington was an inactive Freemason, if the term Freemason even applies to him. Pictures falsely portray him as a active Mason, which he was not. There are no pictures from the actual time period in which he lived portraying him thus, these rather famous pictures (CLICK HERE) are modern imaginings! Painted nearly 200 hundred years after they claim it happened - which it didn't. I could write a whole book about all the false claims against George Washington, but the simple truth was that he joined the American Freemasons in his early twenties, went to 2-3 meetings, and was totally inactive as a Mason for the rest of his life.

*Benjamin Franklin was a Freemason. I guess he was a normal one, because nobody seems to defend him on this one. But it it good to note that Benjamin Franklin firmly defended Christianity when he responded to atheist Thomas Paine.

* James Madison as far as the records have found, had no association with Freemasonry whatsoever. And was not a Freemason.

*John Hancock was an American Freemason, but we should also note that he many times called the nations to prayer and  as Massachusetts's first governor, wrote a clause in the state's first amendment, requiring a statement of faith from all office holders. "I, ________, do declare, that I believe the Christian religion, and have a firm persuasion of its truth."

*Thomas Jefferson, despite many claims of the opposite was not a Freemason. There are no records that suggest otherwise.

*Richard Stockton was an American Freemason who died in the war. He was a strong Christian, as many papers in his own hand prove.

*John Dickinson,  a drafter of the Declaration of Independence, was an American Freemason. He urged the nation to prayer right before the Revolutionary War. And was very vocal in his walk with Christ on how, every good thing that had ever happened to him was because of God. It is also interesting to note that in the Mason records, it says that he joined, January 11th, 1780, and the note by his name states, "Never since appeared in Lodge."

*Alexander Hamilton, was not a Mason. Nothing proves his involvement at any degree.

*Robert Treat Paine was an American Mason. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and a was a military chaplain during the Revolutionary War. He was paaionate about the Gospel and left behind journals and such that give us a glimpse into his life. This man was a Bible believing Christian.

*John Jay was not a Mason. The Mason records have no record of him. Neither are there records anywhere else.

*Gunning Bedford Jr. was not just an American Freemason, but was also a Grand Master of a lodge in the state of Delaware. Mr. Bedford is known for his open and unashamed embrace of the Gospel and Orthodox Christianity. This again shows how different Masonry was in early America. If you missed that post {CLICK HERE}

*Francis Scott Key, the man known for writing The Star Spangled Banner, is often labelled a Mason, though there is some possibility that he wasn't, was a strong Christian. He was a frequent delegate to Episcopal Church conventions, and was a manager of the American Sunday School Society. One of the other things Mr. Key is famous for is his commited correspondence with Mr. John Randolf, a decendant of John Rolf and Pocahontas. Mr. Randolf had a strong attachment to the Muslim faith and for many years Mr. Key wrote many letters to him witnessing to Mr. Randolf about Christianity. Then, one joyous day Mr. Key got a letter from John Randolf saying, "I have thrown myself upon the mercy of my Redeeemer, conscious of my own utter inability to conceive on good thought or do one good act without His gracious aid." [from Life of John Randolf vol. II]. To say the least Francis Key was jubilant. Mr. Key was a strong Christian.

*William Hooper joined a Mason lodge, but shortly after that lodge ceased to be and Mr. Hooper never attended a Mason meeting in another lodge.

*James McHenry also joined a Mason lodge in 1806, but by 1809, three years later he was totally inactive and the notation next to his name in the Mason record says, "Struck off in 1809."

*Charles Caroll, despite the claims of movies (such as National Treasure) and other literature he was not a Mason. In fact the Masons records firmly state that he was NOT a Mason. In fact Mr. Caroll was  devotely Catholic, and would have been excommunitcated if he had joined the Mason. So a claim that Charles Caroll was a Mason is pretty much ridiculous.


I guess that wraps up the series. Thanks so much for joining me. I hope this has sparked your interest. If you want to learn more about this topic check out Wallbuilders, or a book that is smaller and really easy to read, The question of Freemasonry and the Founding Fathers by David Barton. Be really careful when you research this hot topic, alot of common resources are sorta twisted so I suggest starting with Wallbuilders. Thanks so much!