Editing Freemasonry (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Freemasonry}}

===Origins===
Since the middle of the 19th century, Masonic historians have sought the origins of the movement in a series of similar documents known as the [[Old Charges]], dating from the [[Regius Poem]] in about 1425<ref>[http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/prescott07.html Andrew Prescott, "The Old Charges Revisited"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927124756/http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/prescott07.html |date=27 September 2013 }}, from Transactions of the Lodge of Research No. 2429 (Leicester), 2006, ''Pietre-Stones Masonic Papers'', retrieved 12 October 2013</ref> to the beginning of the 18th century. Alluding to the membership of a lodge of [[Operative Freemasonry|operative masons]], they relate it to a [[Masonic myths|mythologised history]] of the craft, the duties of its grades, and the manner in which oaths of fidelity are to be taken on joining.<ref>A. F. A. Woodford, preface to William James Hughan, ''The Old Charges of British Freemasons'', London, 1872</ref> The 15th century also sees the first evidence of ceremonial regalia.<ref>{{Cite book | author = John Yarker | title = The Arcane Schools | location = Manchester | year = 1909 | pages = 341–342}}</ref>

There is no clear mechanism by which these local trade organisations became today's Masonic Lodges. The earliest rituals and passwords known, from operative lodges around the turn of the 17th–18th centuries, show continuity with the rituals developed in the later 18th century by accepted or speculative Masons, as those members who did not practice the physical craft gradually came to be known.<ref>Robert L.D. Cooper, ''Cracking the Freemason's Code'', Rider 2006, Chapter 4, p. 53</ref> The minutes of the [[Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No. 1]] in Scotland show a continuity from an operative lodge in 1598 to a modern speculative Lodge.<ref>David Murray Lyon, ''History of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No 1'', Blackwood 1873, Preface</ref> It is reputed to be the oldest Masonic Lodge in the world.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stevenson|first=David|title=The Origins of Freemasonry|year=1988|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0521396549|pages=38–44}}</ref>
[[File:Room at Masonic Hall Bury St Edmunds Suffolk England.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Royal Arch Chapter in England, beginning of c20|View of room at the Masonic Hall, [[Bury St Edmunds]], Suffolk, England, early 20th century, set up for a Holy Royal Arch convocation]]
Alternatively, [[Thomas De Quincey]] in his work titled ''Rosicrucians and Freemasonry'' put forward the theory that suggested that Freemasonry may have been an outgrowth of [[Rosicrucianism]]. The theory had also been postulated in 1803 by German professor; [[Johann Gottlieb Buhle|J. G. Buhle]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.masonicdictionary.com/rosicrucian.html|title=Rosicrucians and Freemasonry {{!}} Masonic Dictionary |last=Dafoe|first=Stephen|website=www.masonicdictionary.com|language=en|access-date=14 June 2017|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128202245/http://www.masonicdictionary.com/rosicrucian.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ffW5P6NW1kC&q=Freemasonry+is+an+outgrowth+of+rosicrucians&pg=PA395|title=The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy|last=Hall|first=Manly P.|date=2010|publisher=Courier Corporation|isbn=978-0486471433|language=en}}</ref>

The first Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster, later called the [[Premier Grand Lodge of England|Grand Lodge of England]], was founded on [[St. John's Day, Masonic feast|St John's Day]], 24 June 1717,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ugle.org.uk/about-freemasonry/history-of-freemasonry |title=History of Freemasonry timeline |publisher=United Grand Lodge of England |access-date=12 June 2018 |archive-date=26 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180826142101/https://www.ugle.org.uk/about-freemasonry/history-of-freemasonry |url-status=live }}</ref> when four existing London Lodges met for a joint dinner. Over the next decade, most of the existing Lodges in England joined the new regulatory body, which itself entered a period of self-publicity and expansion. New lodges were created, and the fraternity began to grow.

During the course of the 18th century, as aristocrats and artists crowded out the craftsmen originally associated with the organization, Freemasonry became fashionable throughout Europe and the [[European colonization of the Americas|American colonies]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Greer |first=John Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c-T7DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA26 |title=Druidry Handbook: Spiritual Practice Rooted in the Living Earth |date=2021|publisher=Weiser Books |isbn=978-1-63341-224-8 |pages=26 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bergreen |first=Laurence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3B6zCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA119 |title=Casanova: The World of a Seductive Genius |date=2016 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4767-1652-7 |page=119 |language=en}}</ref>

Between 1730 and 1750, the Grand Lodge endorsed several significant changes that some Lodges could not endorse. A rival Grand Lodge was formed on 17 July 1751, which called itself the "[[Antient Grand Lodge of England]]" to signify that, in their opinion, these lodges were maintaining older traditions and rejected changes that the Premiere Grand Lodge had adopted. As an insult, the self proclaimed "Antient Grand Lodge" coined the term "modern" to designate the Premiere Grand Lodge (historians now use Premiere Grand Lodge and Antient Grand Lodge – to differentiate the two bodies).<ref>{{cite web |title=Ars Quatuor Coronatorum – A Revised Style Guide |url=https://www.quatuorcoronati.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AQC-Revised-Style-Guide-5-August-2011-2.pdf |website=[[Quatuor Coronati Lodge|Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076]] |access-date=19 November 2024 |pages=12–13 |archive-date=19 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119120924/https://www.quatuorcoronati.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AQC-Revised-Style-Guide-5-August-2011-2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> These two Grand Lodges vied for supremacy until the Premiere Grand Lodge made a [[Emulation Lodge of Improvement|compromise]] with the antient Grand Lodge to return to a ritual that worked for both Grand Lodges. They re-united on 27 December 1813 to form the [[United Grand Lodge of England]].<ref>{{Cite book|author=[[S. Brent Morris]]|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry|publisher=Alpha/Penguin Books|isbn=1-59257-490-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu00morr/page/27 27]|year=2006|url=https://archive.org/details/completeidiotsgu00morr/page/27}}</ref><ref name="Clarke">[http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/aqc/ancients.html I. R. Clarke, "The Formation of the Grand Lodge of the Antients"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623084114/http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/aqc/ancients.html |date=23 June 2017 }}, Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol 79 (1966), pp. 270–273, ''Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon'', retrieved 28 June 2012</ref>

The [[Grand Lodge of Ireland]] and the [[Grand Lodge of Scotland]] were formed in 1725 and 1736, respectively, although neither persuaded all of the existing lodges in their countries to join for many years.<ref>[http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/uk_grand_lodges.html H. L. Haywood, "Various Grand Lodges"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730172543/http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/uk_grand_lodges.html |date=30 July 2014 }}, ''The Builder'', vol X no 5, May 1924, ''Pietre Stones'' website, retrieved 9 January 2014</ref><ref>Robert L.D. Cooper, ''Cracking the Freemason's Code'', Rider 2006, Chapter 1, p. 17</ref>

===North America===
[[File:Erasmus James Philipps, Old Burying Ground, Halifax, Nova Scotia.jpg|thumb|[[Erasmus James Philipps]], first Freemason in present-day Canada, [[Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia)]]]]
The earliest known American lodges were in [[Pennsylvania]]. The collector for the port of Pennsylvania, John Moore, wrote of attending lodges there in 1715, two years before the putative formation of the first Grand Lodge in London. The [[Premier Grand Lodge of England|Grand Lodge of England]] appointed a Provincial Grand Master for North America in 1731, based in Pennsylvania,<ref>[http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/pennsylvania_freemasonry.html Francis Vicente, An Overview of Early Freemasonry in Pennsylvania] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520014313/http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/pennsylvania_freemasonry.html |date=20 May 2013 }}, ''Pietre-Stones'', retrieved 15 November 2013</ref> leading to the creation of the [[Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania]].

In Canada, [[Erasmus James Philipps]] became a Freemason while working on a commission to resolve boundaries in [[New England]] and, in 1739, he became provincial Grand Master for [[Nova Scotia]]; Philipps founded the first Masonic lodge in Canada at [[Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.grandlodgens.org/content/chapter-1-beginnings| title = History of Freemasons in Nova Scotia| access-date = 23 April 2019| archive-date = 23 April 2016| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160423005153/http://www.grandlodgens.org/content/chapter-1-beginnings| url-status = live}}</ref>

Other lodges in the colony of Pennsylvania obtained authorisations from the later [[Antient Grand Lodge of England]], the [[Grand Lodge of Scotland]], and the [[Grand Lodge of Ireland]], which was particularly well represented in the travelling lodges of the British Army.<ref>[http://www.stjohns1.org/portal/lodge_history Werner Hartmann, "History of St. John's Lodge No. 1"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207154541/http://www.stjohns1.org/portal/lodge_history |date=7 December 2013 }}, ''St. John's Lodge No. 1, A.Y.M.'', 2012, retrieved 16 November 2013</ref><ref>M. Baigent and R. Leigh, ''The Temple and the Lodge'', Arrow 1998, Appendix 2, pp. 360–362, "Masonic Field Lodges in Regiments in America", 1775–77</ref> Many lodges came into existence with no warrant from any Grand Lodge, applying and paying for their authorisation only after they were confident of their own survival.<ref>Robert L.D. Cooper, ''Cracking the Freemason's Code'', Rider 2006, p. 190</ref>

After the [[American Revolution]], independent U.S. Grand Lodges developed within each state. Some thought was briefly given to organising<!-- NOTE: THIS ARTICLE USES UK SPELLING ... which spells this word with an "s" and not a "z." --> an overarching "Grand Lodge of the United States", with [[George Washington]], who was a member of a Virginian lodge, as the first Grand Master, but the idea was short-lived. The various state Grand Lodges did not wish to diminish their own authority by agreeing to such a body.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book
| title = Revolutionary brotherhood: Freemasonry and the transformation of the American social order, 1730–1840
| first1 = Steven C.
| last1 = Bullock
| author2 = Institute of Early American History and Culture (Williamsburg, Va.)
| location = Chapel Hill
| publisher = University of North Carolina Press
| year = 1996
| isbn = 978-0-8078-4750-3
| oclc = 33334015 }}</ref>

On April 30, 1789, George Washington took his [[Oath of office of the president of the United States|oath of office]] at his [[First inauguration of George Washington|first inauguration]] upon a Bible belonging to [[St. John's Lodge (New York)|St. John's Lodge No. 1]] of New York. Originally, it was expected that Washington would bring his own Bible upon which to swear his oath of office, and there was some consternation when it turned out that no one had informed Washington to bring one. Thinking quickly, [[Jacob Morton]], the Marshal of the Inauguration (and Master of St. John's Lodge), borrowed the Lodge's Bible for use in the ceremony. That Bible has been known since as the [[George Washington Inaugural Bible]], and is still in possession of St. John's Lodge No. 1 of the Grand Lodge of New York.<ref>{{Cite web |title=George Washington Inaugural Bible |url=https://stjohns1.org/the-lodge/george-washington-inaugural-bible/ |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=St. John's Lodge No. 1 A.Y.M. |language=en-US |archive-date=28 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240428171143/https://stjohns1.org/the-lodge/george-washington-inaugural-bible/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Robert R. Livingston|Robert Livingston]], [[New York Court of Chancery|Chancellor]] of the State of New York, also the first [[Grand Lodge of New York|Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York]], administered the oath.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-18 |title=President George Washington's First Inaugural Speech (1789) |url=https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/president-george-washingtons-first-inaugural-speech |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=National Archives |language=en |archive-date=26 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526205628/https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/president-george-washingtons-first-inaugural-speech |url-status=live }}</ref> This event effectuated the establishment of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government of the United States, which had until then existed only virtually after the US Constitution become operational almost two months earlier, on March 4, 1789.<ref>{{Cite web |title=On this day, government begins under our Constitution |url=https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/march-4-a-forgotten-huge-day-in-american-politics-2 |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org |language=en |archive-date=5 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705133234/https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/march-4-a-forgotten-huge-day-in-american-politics-2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Today in History - March 4 |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/march-04/ |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA |archive-date=26 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526205626/https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/march-04/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Jamaican Freemasonry====

Freemasonry was imported to [[Jamaica]] by British immigrants who colonized the island for over 300 years. In 1908, there were eleven recorded Masonic lodges, which included three Grand Lodges, two Craft lodges, and two Rose Croix chapters.<ref name="Handbook of Jamaica">{{cite book |date=1908 |title=Handbook of Jamaica |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-LwCAAAAYAAJ |location=Google Books |publisher=Jamaica Government |page=449 }}</ref> During slavery, the lodges were open to all "freeborn" men. According to the Jamaican 1834 census, that potentially included 5,000 free black men and 40,000 free people of colour (mixed race).<ref>{{cite book |date=1908 |title=Handbook of Jamaica |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-LwCAAAAYAAJ |location=Google Books |publisher=Jamaica Government |page=33 }}</ref> After the [[Slavery Abolition Act 1833|full abolition of slavery in 1838]], the Lodges were open to all Jamaican men of any race.<ref name="Jamaica Gleaner Newspaper">{{cite news |date=10 December 2017 |title=Charting The History Of Freemasons In Jamaica |url=http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/art-leisure/20171210/charting-history-freemasons-jamaica |work=Jamaica Gleaner Newspaper |archive-date=28 January 2019 |access-date=28 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128191302/http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/art-leisure/20171210/charting-history-freemasons-jamaica |url-status=live }}</ref> Jamaica also kept close relationships with Masons from other countries. Jamaican Freemasonry historian Jackie Ranston, noted that:

{{Blockquote
|text=Jamaica served as an arms depot for the revolutionary forces when two Kingston Freemasons, Wellwood and Maxwell Hyslop, financed the campaigns of Simón Bolívar, the Liberator, to whom six Latin American Republics owe their independence". Bolívar himself was a Mason, enjoying contacts with Brethren in Spain, England, France, and Venezuela until after gaining power in Venezuela, he prohibited all secret societies in 1828 and included the Freemasons.<ref name="Jamaica Gleaner Newspaper"/> }}

On 25 May 2017, Masons around the world celebrated the 300th anniversary of the fraternity. Jamaica hosted one of the regional gatherings for this celebration.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 April 2017 |title=English Freemasons To Celebrate Their 300th Year In Jamaica |url=http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170418/english-freemasons-celebrate-their-300th-year-jamaica |work=Jamaica Gleaner Newspaper}}</ref><ref name="Handbook of Jamaica"/>

====Prince Hall Freemasonry====
{{Main|Prince Hall Freemasonry}}

Prince Hall Freemasonry exists because of the refusal of early American lodges to admit African Americans. In 1775, an African American named [[Prince Hall]],<ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.mindspring.com/~johnsonx/whoisph.htm
| title = Who is Prince Hall? And other well known Prince Hall Masons
| first = Lawrence
| last = Johnson
| year = 1996
| access-date = 14 November 2005
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070602065851/http://www.mindspring.com/~johnsonx/whoisph.htm
| archive-date = 2 June 2007
| url-status=dead
| df = dmy-all
}}
</ref> along with 14 other African American men, was initiated into a British military lodge with a warrant from the [[Grand Lodge of Ireland]], having failed to obtain admission from the other lodges in [[Boston]]. When the British military Lodge left North America after the end of the Revolution, those 15 men were given the authority to meet as a Lodge, but not to initiate Masons. In 1784, these individuals obtained a Warrant from the Grand Lodge of England (Premiere Grand Lodge) and formed [[African Lodge No. 459|African Lodge, Number 459]]. When the two English grand lodges united in 1813, all U.S.-based Lodges were stricken from their rolls&mdash;largely because of the [[War of 1812]]. Thus, separated from both English jurisdiction and any concordantly recognised U.S. Grand Lodge, African Lodge retitled itself as the African Lodge, Number 1&mdash;and became a ''de facto'' Grand Lodge. (This lodge is not to be confused with the various Grand Lodges in Africa.) As with the rest of U.S. Freemasonry, Prince Hall Freemasonry soon grew and organised <!-- NOTE: THIS ARTICLE USES UK SPELLING ... which spells this word with an "s" and not a "z". --> on a Grand Lodge system for each state.<ref>[http://www.princehall.org/History/Ray%20Colemans%20History.pdf "Prince Hall History Education Class" by Raymond T. Coleman(pdf)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223554/http://www.princehall.org/History/Ray%20Colemans%20History.pdf |date=3 March 2016 }} retrieved 13 October 2013</ref>

Unlike other fraternal orders, there was never any blanket rule against the admission of men based on their race. Each lodge and grand lodge had their own rules, both written and unwritten. A few non-Prince Hall lodges did admit Blacks, with [[Angelo Soliman]] being one notable Masonic personality of African descent. Nonetheless, widespread [[racial segregation]] in 19th- and early 20th-century North America made it difficult for African Americans to join Lodges outside of Prince Hall jurisdictions.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Today most (but not all) U.S. Grand Lodges recognise their Prince Hall counterparts, and the authorities of both traditions are working towards full recognition.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://bessel.org/masrec/phamapshistorical.htm
| title = Prince Hall Masonry Recognition details: Historical Maps
| first = Paul M.
| last = Bessel
| access-date = 14 November 2005
| archive-date = 13 December 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101213215140/http://bessel.org/masrec/phamapshistorical.htm
| url-status = live
}}</ref> The United Grand Lodge of England has no problem with recognising Prince Hall Grand Lodges.<ref>[http://www.ugle.org.uk/about/foreign-grand-lodges "Foreign Grand Lodges"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022100731/http://ugle.org.uk/about/foreign-grand-lodges |date=22 October 2013 }}, ''UGLE Website'', retrieved 25 October 2013</ref> While celebrating their heritage as lodges of African Americans, Prince Hall is open to all men regardless of race or religion.<ref>[http://www.princehall-pa.org/GrandLodge/glhist.htm "History of Prince Hall Masonry: What is Freemasonry"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131119011047/http://www.princehall-pa.org/grandlodge/glhist.htm |date=19 November 2013 }}, ''Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Free and Accepted Masons Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania'', retrieved 25 October 2013</ref>

===Emergence of Continental or Liberal Freemasonry===
{{Main|Liberal Freemasonry}}
[[File:Freimaurer Initiation.jpg|thumb|alt=Masonic initiation, Paris, 1745|Masonic initiation, Paris, 1745]]
English Freemasonry spread to France in the 1720s, first as lodges of expatriates and exiled [[Jacobitism|Jacobites]], and then as distinctively French lodges that still follow the ritual of the [[Premier Grand Lodge of England]]. From France and England, Freemasonry spread to most of Continental Europe during the course of the 18th century. The Grande Loge de France was formed under the Grand Mastership of the Duke of Clermont, who exercised only nominal authority. His successor, the [[Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans|Duke of Orléans]], reconstituted the central body as the Grand Orient de France in 1773. Briefly eclipsed during the [[French Revolution]], French Freemasonry continued to grow in the next century,<ref>[http://www.godf.org/index.php/pages/details/slug/histoire-de-la-franc-maconnerie ''Histoire de la Franc-maçonnerie''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226065508/http://www.godf.org/index.php/pages/details/slug/histoire-de-la-franc-maconnerie |date=26 December 2015 }}, Grand Orient de France, retrieved 12 November 2013</ref> at first under the leadership of [[Alexandre Francois Auguste de Grasse]], Comte de Grassy-Tilly.

=== Freemasonry in the Middle East ===
{{Further|History of Freemasonry#Freemasonry in the Middle East|label1=Freemasonry in the Middle East}}
After the failure of the [[Revolutions of 1830#In Italy|1830 Italian revolution]], a number of Italian Freemasons were forced to flee. They secretly set up an approved chapter of [[Scottish Rite]] in [[Alexandria]], a town already inhabited by a large Italian community. Meanwhile, the French Freemasons publicly organised a local chapter in Alexandria in 1845.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=M. Landau|first=Jacob|date=1965|title=Prolegomena to a study of secret societies in modern Egypt|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00263206508700010?journalCode=fmes20|journal=Middle Eastern Studies|publisher=Routledge|volume=1|issue=2|page=139|doi=10.1080/00263206508700010|via=Tandfonline | issn = 0026-3206}}</ref> During the 19th and 20th century [[Ottoman Empire]], Masonic lodges operated widely across all parts of the empire and numerous [[Tariqa|Sufi orders]] shared a close relationship with them. Many [[Young Turks]] affiliated with the [[Bektashi Order|Bektashi order]] were members and patrons of Freemasonry. They were also closely allied against [[European imperialism]]. Many Ottoman intellectuals believed that [[Sufism]] and Freemasonry shared close similarities in doctrines, spiritual outlook and mysticism.<ref>{{Cite book|last=De Poli|first=Barbara|title=Freemansonry and the Orient: Esotericisms between the East and the West|publisher=Edizioni Ca' Foscari-Digital publishing|year=2019|isbn=978-8869693397|pages=75–86|chapter=Chapter 6: Sufi and Freemasons in the Ottoman Empire 6.1 ʿAbd Al-Qādir Al-Jazāʾirī}}</ref>

=== Schism ===
{{Use British English|date=January 2024}}
==== Racial schism ====
The relationship between English and French Freemasonry changed significantly during the formation of the [[United Grand Lodge of England]] in 1813. While the two jurisdictions maintained mutual recognition for several decades, events in the 1860s and 1870s led to a lasting division. In 1868, the ''[[Supreme Council of Louisiana|Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of the State of Louisiana]]'' established itself within the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana. This body, recognised by the [[Grand Orient de France]] but was considered irregular by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana because it admitted Black members. The following year, shocked by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana's discrimination practices, the Grand Orient de France clarified and cemented its positions by passing a resolution declaring that "neither colour, race, nor religion could disqualify a man from Masonry". This prompted the Grand Lodge of Louisiana to withdraw recognition and influenced other American Grand Lodges to do the same.<ref>[http://bessel.org/masrec/france.htm Paul Bessel, "U.S. Recognition of French Grand Lodges in the 1900s"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060410074658/http://bessel.org/masrec/france.htm |date=10 April 2006 }}, from ''Heredom: The Transactions of the Scottish Rite Research Society'', vol 5, 1996, pp. 221–244, ''Paul Bessel'' website, retrieved 12 November 2013</ref>

==== Theological schism ====
A philosophical debate during the [[Lausanne Congress of Supreme Councils of 1875]] led the Grand Orient de France to examine its foundational principles. Following a report by a Protestant pastor, they concluded that Freemasonry, not being a religion, should not require religious belief.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brodsky |first1=Michael L. |title=A European View of Masonic Growth |url=https://skirret.com/papers/european_view_of_masonic_growth.html |website=The Skirret |access-date=23 January 2025}}</ref> The Grand Orient revised its constitution to emphasise "absolute liberty of conscience and human solidarity", removing previous requirements regarding belief in the [[existence of God]] and the [[immortality of the soul]]. The [[United Grand Lodge of England]] subsequently withdrew recognition of the Grand Orient de France, possibly influenced by contemporary political tensions between France and Britain. This separation continues today.<ref name="Buta"/>

==== Evolution of styles ====
This philosophical development led to a diversification within French Freemasonry. In 1894, some lodges formed the [[Grande Loge de France]], maintaining reference to the Great Architect of the Universe while preserving many French Masonic traditions, representing a middle path between Liberal and Anglo approaches.<ref>[http://www.gldf.org/gldf-obedience-maconnique/gldf-qui-sommes-nous/historique-de-la-gldf.html ''Historique de la GLDF''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222222346/http://www.gldf.org/gldf-obedience-maconnique/gldf-qui-sommes-nous/historique-de-la-gldf.html |date=22 December 2015 }}, Grande Loge de France, retrieved 14 November 2013</ref> By 1913, the United Grand Lodge of England established relations with the newly formed "[[Grande Loge Nationale Française|Grande Loge Nationale Indépendante et Régulière pour la France et les Colonies Françaises]]," which aligned more closely with Conservative Masonic practices.<ref>[http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/bernheim27.html Alain Bernheim, "My approach to Masonic History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709203449/http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/bernheim27.html |date=9 July 2023 }}, Manchester 2011, ''Pietre-Stones'', retrieved 14 November 2013</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jacob |first=Margaret C. |title=The Origins of Freemasonry: Facts and Fictions |year=2007 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0812219883}}</ref>

This diversification allowed French Freemasonry to develop along multiple legitimate paths. The Grand Orient de France continued as a significant intellectual and progressive force in French society. Its Liberal emphasis on freedom of conscience and social progress has been particularly influential in the development of secular democratic values throughout Europe and beyond, while Conservative bodies maintained their own distinct approach to Masonic principles.

Modern Freemasonry encompasses three main approaches, which influence practice throughout Continental Europe:<ref>{{cite journal |last=Nord |first=Philip |title=Freemasonry, Civil Society, and Democracy− in Nineteenth-Century France |journal=Tocqueville Review |volume=37 |issue=2 |year=2016|doi=10.3138/ttr.37.2.161|doi-broken-date=6 March 2025 }}</ref>

*Liberal<ref>{{cite web |title=Liberals |url=https://freemasonry.network/liberals/ |website=FREEMASONRY.network |access-date=16 January 2025 |archive-date=2 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250202121616/https://freemasonry.network/liberals/ |url-status=live }}</ref> (or adogmatic/progressive) – Emphasising liberty of conscience and [[laïcité]], particularly regarding separation of Church and State.<ref>[http://www.frenchfreemasonry.org/grand-lodges/liberal-freemasonry "Liberal Grand Lodges"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120051953/http://www.frenchfreemasonry.org/grand-lodges/liberal-freemasonry |date=20 January 2015 }}, ''French Freemasonry'', retrieved 14 November 2013</ref>
*Traditional – Following established French practices while maintaining requirement for belief in a supreme being.<ref>[http://www.frenchfreemasonry.org/grand-lodges/traditional-grand-lodges "Traditional Grand Lodges"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714115355/http://www.frenchfreemasonry.org/grand-lodges/traditional-grand-lodges |date=14 July 2014 }}, ''French Freemasonry'', retrieved 14 November 2013</ref> The [[Grande Loge de France]] exemplifies this approach.
*Conservative<ref>{{cite web |last1=de Biasi |first1=Jean-Louis |author1-link=Jean-Louis de Biasi |title=Esoteric Freemasonry |url=https://issuu.com/llewellyn/docs/9780738748481 |website=[[Issuu]] |date=8 February 2018 |access-date=16 January 2025 |page=25 |archive-date=19 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119211042/https://issuu.com/llewellyn/docs/9780738748481 |url-status=live }}</ref> – Following Anglo-American practices with mandatory belief in supreme being.<ref>[http://www.frenchfreemasonry.org/grand-lodges/regular-grand-lodges "Regular Grand Lodges"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120052209/http://www.frenchfreemasonry.org/grand-lodges/regular-grand-lodges |date=20 January 2015 }}, ''French Freemasonry'', retrieved 14 November 2013</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Önnerfors |first=Andreas |title=Freemasonry: A Very Short Introduction |year=2017 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0198796275}}</ref>

The term [[Continental Freemasonry]] historically described the diverse Masonic traditions that developed in Europe. While Albert Mackey's 1873 ''Encyclopedia of Freemasonry'' defined it from a Conservative perspective as lodges that "retain many usages which have either been abandoned by, or never were observed in, the Lodges of England, Ireland, and Scotland,"<ref>[http://encyclopediaoffreemasonry.com/c/continental-lodges/ "Continental Lodges"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203010710/http://encyclopediaoffreemasonry.com/c/continental-lodges/ |date=3 December 2013 }},''Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry'', retrieved 30 November 2013</ref> a more balanced view recognizes that these represent distinct philosophical approaches to Masonic principles.

Today, Liberal Freemasonry encompasses traditions like the [[Grand Orient de France]], which emphasizes freedom of conscience and social progress, as well as bodies like the Grande Loge de France that maintain some traditional elements while embracing certain Liberal principles. These organizations have played significant roles in the development of democratic ideals, human rights, and social reform throughout Europe and Latin America, representing a dynamic interpretation of Masonic principles focused on human advancement and the betterment of society.<ref>For instance [http://cornwineoil.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/women-in-freemasonry-and-oriental.html "Women in Freemasonry, and Continental Freemasonry"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203022322/http://cornwineoil.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/women-in-freemasonry-and-oriental.html |date=3 December 2013 }}, ''Corn Wine and Oil'', June 2009, retrieved 30 November 2013</ref>

Different approaches to recognition and interaction between Masonic bodies emerged in the 20th century. In 1961, several Grand Lodges and Grand Orients established the [[Centre de Liaison et d'Information des Puissances maçonniques Signataires de l'Appel de Strasbourg]] (CLIPSAS), creating an international forum for Masonic cooperation. CLIPSAS membership includes over 100 Masonic organisations worldwide, encompassing traditional, liberal, and mixed-gender organisations.<ref>{{cite book |last=Snoek |first=Jan A.M. |author2=Henrik Bogdan |title=Handbook of Freemasonry |year=2014 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-9004273122}}</ref>

This development reflected different philosophical approaches to Masonic recognition. The [[United Grand Lodge of England]] maintains a policy of exclusive recognition based on specific criteria, including belief in a supreme being and male-only membership. In contrast, CLIPSAS member organisations generally practise open recognition, allowing interaction between diverse Masonic traditions.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Révauger |first=Cécile |title=Unity and Diversity in European Freemasonry |journal=Journal for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism |volume=5 |issue=1 |year=2014}}</ref>

These differing approaches to recognition have led to distinct networks of Masonic interaction, often characterised as Conservative or Anglo-American and Liberal or Continental traditions, though this simplification does not fully capture the complexity of modern Masonic relationships.<ref>{{cite book |last=Önnerfors |first=Andreas |title=Freemasonry: A Very Short Introduction |year=2017 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0198796275}}</ref>

However, recent developments indicate shifting perspectives within Conservative Freemasonry regarding women's organisations. In 1999, the [[United Grand Lodge of England]] officially acknowledged both The [[Order of Women Freemasons]] and the Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons (Freemasonry for Women) as legitimate Masonic bodies. While not extending formal recognition, UGLE maintains "''excellent working relationships''" with both Grand Lodges and collaborates with them on various initiatives, including joint participation in Open House London events at Freemasons' Hall and university recruitment fairs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ugle.org.uk/discover-freemasonry/women-freemasons |title=Women Freemasons |publisher=United Grand Lodge of England |access-date=2024-01-16}}</ref> This represents a significant evolution from earlier stricter positions and demonstrates increasing liberalisation and acceptance of diverse Masonic traditions.<ref>{{cite book |last=Prescott |first=Andrew |title=The Study of Freemasonry as a New Academic Discipline |year=2018 |publisher=Sheffield Lectures on the History of Freemasonry |isbn=9780956209603}}</ref>

Additionally, in 2018, UGLE released guidance explicitly welcoming transgender members and affirming that "A Freemason who after initiation ceases to be a man does not cease to be a Freemason."<ref>{{cite news |last=Gayle |first=Damien |title=Freemasons to admit women – but only if they first joined as men |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/aug/01/freemasons-to-admit-women-but-only-if-they-first-joined-as-men |work=The Guardian |date=2018-08-01 |access-date=2024-01-16}}</ref>

===Freemasonry and women===
{{Main|Freemasonry and women|Co-Freemasonry}}

The status of women in the old guilds and corporations of medieval masons remains uncertain. The principle of "femme sole" allowed a widow to continue the trade of her husband, but its application had wide local variations, such as full membership of a trade body or limited trade by deputation or approved members of that body.<ref>Antonia Frazer, ''The Weaker Vessel'', Mandarin paperbacks, 1989, pp. 108–109</ref> In masonry, the small available evidence points to the less empowered end of the scale.<ref>for example, see David Murray Lyon, ''History of the lodge of Edinburgh'', Blackwood, Edinburgh, 1873, pp. 121–123</ref>

At the dawn of the [[History of Freemasonry#Early Grand Lodge period|Grand Lodge era]], during the 1720s, [[James Anderson (Freemason)|James Anderson]] composed the [[Anderson's Constitutions|first printed constitutions for Freemasons]], the basis for most subsequent constitutions, which specifically excluded women from Freemasonry.<ref name=AndersonCharge3>{{cite book
|url= http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1028&context=libraryscience
|access-date= 12 August 2013
|title= The Constitutions of the Free-Masons
|first= James
|last= Anderson
|publisher= [[Benjamin Franklin]]
|location= [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania
|editor= Paul Royster
|edition= Philadelphia
|year= 1734
|orig-year= 1723
|page= 49
|quote= The Persons admitted Members of a Lodge must be good and true Men, free-born, and of mature and discreet Age, no Bondmen, no Women, no immoral or scandalous Men, but of good Report.
|archive-date= 19 October 2013
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131019042640/http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1028&context=libraryscience
|url-status= live
}}</ref> As Freemasonry spread, women began to be added to the [[Rite of Adoption|Lodges of Adoption]] by their husbands who were continental masons, which worked three degrees with the same names as the men's but different content. The French officially abandoned the experiment in the early 19th century.<ref>[http://www.themasonictrowel.com/books/lexicon_of_freemasonry_by_Albert_Mackey/files/AMAP1/Amac-9.htm "Adoptive Freemasonry"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004230926/http://www.themasonictrowel.com/books/lexicon_of_freemasonry_by_Albert_Mackey/files/AMAP1/Amac-9.htm |date=4 October 2013 }} Entry from ''Mackey's Lexicon of Freemasonry''</ref><ref name="Thames">[http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/Cabinet_Card_Woman_in_Masonic_Regalia.htm Barbara L. Thames, "A History of Women's Masonry"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815054159/http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/Cabinet_Card_Woman_in_Masonic_Regalia.htm |date=15 August 2013 }}, ''Phoenix Masonry'', retrieved 5 March 2013</ref> Later organisations with a similar aim emerged in the United States but distinguished the names of the degrees from those of male masonry.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200222093053/http://www.masonicdictionary.com/oes.html "Order of the Eastern Star"]}} ''Masonic Dictionary'', retrieved 9 January 2013</ref>

[[Maria Deraismes]] was initiated into Freemasonry in 1882, then resigned to allow her lodge to rejoin their Grand Lodge. Having failed to achieve acceptance from any masonic governing body, she and [[Georges Martin (freemason)|Georges Martin]] started a mixed masonic lodge that worked masonic ritual.<ref>[http://www.droithumain-france.org/node/151 "Maria Deraismes (1828–1894)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004224129/http://www.droithumain-france.org/node/151 |date=4 October 2013 }}, ''Droit Humain'', retrieved 5 March 2013. (French Language)</ref> [[Annie Besant]] spread the phenomenon to the English-speaking world.<ref>[http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/history_of_co-freemasonry.htm Jeanne Heaslewood, "A Brief History of the Founding of Co-Freemasonry"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607001523/http://phoenixmasonry.org/history_of_co-freemasonry.htm |date=7 June 2013 }}, 1999, ''Phoenix Masonry'', retrieved 12 August 2013</ref> Disagreements over ritual led to the formation of exclusively female bodies of Freemasons in England, which spread to other countries. Meanwhile, the French had re-invented Adoption as an all-female lodge in 1901, only to cast it aside again in 1935. The lodges, however, continued to meet, which gave rise, in 1959, to a body of women practising continental Freemasonry.<ref name="Thames" />

In general, Continental Freemasonry is sympathetic to Freemasonry among women, dating from the 1890s when French lodges assisted the emergent co-masonic movement by promoting enough of their members to the 33rd degree of the [[Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite]] to allow them, in 1899, to form their own grand council, recognised by the other Continental Grand Councils of that Rite.<ref name="DHHistoire">[https://web.archive.org/web/20111021235404/http://www.droithumain-france.org/contenu/identite-histoire/histoire/les-grandes-figures/histoire-du-droit-humain "Histoire du Droit Humain"], ''Droit Humain'', retrieved 12 August 2013</ref> The United Grand Lodge of England issued a statement in 1999 recognising the two women's grand lodges there, The Order of Women Freemasons<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Order of Women Freemasons {{!}} Womens Freemasonry {{!}} Nationwide|url=https://www.owf.org.uk/|access-date=2021-06-17|website=www.owf.org.uk|language=en-gb}}</ref> and The Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons,<ref>{{Cite web|title=HFAF {{!}} Freemasonry for Women|url=https://hfaf.org/|access-date=2021-06-17|language=en|archive-date=2 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240602003216/https://hfaf.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> to be regular in all but the participants. While they were not, therefore, recognised as regular, they were part of Freemasonry "in general".<ref name="UGLEFAQ" /><ref>[http://www.hfaf.org/ugle.htm "Text of UGLE statement"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604174900/http://www.hfaf.org/ugle.htm |date=4 June 2013 }}, ''Honourable Fraternity of Ancient Freemasons – Freemasonry For Women'', retrieved 12 August 2012</ref> The attitude of most regular Anglo-American grand lodges remains that women Freemasons are not legitimate Masons.<ref>Karen Kidd, ''Haunted Chambers: the Lives of Early Women Freemasons'', Cornerstone, 2009, pp. 204–205</ref>

In 2018, guidance was released by the [[United Grand Lodge of England]] stating that, in regard to transgender women, "A Freemason who after initiation ceases to be a man does not cease to be a Freemason".<ref name="trans">{{cite news|author=Damien Gayle |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/aug/01/freemasons-to-admit-women-but-only-if-they-first-joined-as-men |title=Freemasons to admit women – but only if they first joined as men {{pipe}} UK news |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2018 |access-date=1 August 2018}}</ref> The guidance also states that transgender men are allowed to apply.<ref name="trans"/>