Subject Area
American history; Gender studies
Description
Located at 28 Cambridge Street in Boston, the African Masonic Hall served as the meeting place for the African Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and the African Humane Society. The former, the nation’s first black masonic lodge, was founded in 1775 to foster black unity, advocate for abolition, and fight colonization efforts through masonic fraternal tradition. Similarly, the African Humane Society, also called the African Society, was founded in 1796 and used similar fraternal practices to provide medical and funeral expenses for its members. Being African fraternal societies, both groups restricted their membership to black men. Located in Beacon Hill less than one mile from the African Meeting House, the “[b]irthplace of the New England Anti Slavery Society,” the African Masonic Hall was at the heart of Boston’s 19th century antislavery movement.3 On February 27, 1833, however, the masculinity, fraternity, and black liberation efforts upon which its tenants founded and prided themselves were challenged in a speech by a young black widow from Connecticut.
Publisher
Providence College
Academic Year
2024-2025
Date
Summer 2025
Type
Article
Format
Text
Language
English
Start Date
3-22-2025 2:45 PM
Included in
Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, United States History Commons, Women's History Commons
