Prince Hall freemasonry: Forming a free African American community

Before the foundation of the Prince Hall Freemasonic Order, the free black population in the United States was lacking a community and group identity. Rather, there existed a disjointed group of individuals kept at a perpetual distance from one another, both by societal pressures and by personal desire for status and advancement. Prince Hall Masonry instituted a framework for this population to grow together, form connections, and collectively interact with greater s ociety. This paper delineates what role this fraternal organization had in the formation of a free black com munity in early America. It explores the institution's foundation, its ideology and teachings, and its rituals and symbols. Aspects of the fraternal organization's effect on the internal interactions and identity of the emerging community, and the community's external interaction with white Masonic orders and the encompassing white society is considered. The effect of Masonic doctrine on these group exchanges is also thoroughly examined.