As our Nation now celebrates the 250th Anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence, each of our next three Fraternal Review issues will be dedicated to that momentous event. Many of the Patriots and Founding Fathers were, or may have been Freemasons. We honor their significant contributions to the creation of the United States of America, and note the Masonic principles, concepts and morals that became a part of the ethos that has come to symbolize the best qualities of these United States.

     This June issue concentrates on the period leading up to the American Revolution, as the 13 Colonies—situated on a narrow strip of land on the eastern coast of the great North American continent—sought and attained their freedom from their Mother Country by defying England and its autocratic King George III. Disparate in customs, cultures, economies, and religions, the Colonies—united economically under the banner of “no taxation without representation” and inspired spiritually in pursuit of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity—together established what became the first functional democracy since Ancient Greece.