Freemasonry: a place for the sociability of free-born and free-born men of color

摘要

The purpose of this article is to analyze the Masonic experience of "color" men, born free and freed, in the Masonic temples of the second half of the 19th century. The initiatic organization established in all corners of the country has spread and consolidated as a space of sociability, especially among the most affluent social layers of society. The participation of men from the poorer layers of the organization, as the documentation analyzed reveals, gained support of the Masonic legislation itself. In addition to discussing the presence of "colored" men in Masonry, we sought to understand the social meaning that these men attributed to the organization.