A Secret Society History of the Civil War
A Secret Society History of the Civil War

Author: Mark A. Lause

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2011-12-01

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 0252093593

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This unique history of the Civil War considers the impact of nineteenth-century American secret societies on the path to as well as the course of the war. Beginning with the European secret societies that laid the groundwork for Freemasonry in the United States, Mark A. Lause analyzes how the Old World's traditions influenced various underground groups and movements in America, particularly George Lippard's Brotherhood of the Union, an American attempt to replicate the political secret societies that influenced the European revolutions of 1848. Lause traces the Brotherhood's various manifestations, the most conspicuous being the Knights of the Golden Circle (out of which developed the Ku Klux Klan), and the Confederate secret groups through which John Wilkes Booth and others attempted to undermine the Union. Lause profiles the key leaders of these organizations, with special focus on George Lippard, Hugh Forbes, and George Washington Lafayette Bickley. Antebellum secret societies ranged politically from those with progressive or even revolutionary agendas to those that pursued conservative or oppressive goals. This book shows how, in the years leading up to the Civil War, these clandestine organizations exacerbated existing sectional tensions in the United States. Lause's research indicates that the pervasive influence of secret societies may have played a part in key events such as the Freesoil movement, the beginning of the Republican party, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Lincoln's election, and the Southern secession process of 1860-1861. This exceptional study encompasses both white and African American secret society involvement, revealing the black fraternal experience in antebellum America as well as the clandestine operations that provided assistance to escaped slaves via the Underground Railroad. Unraveling these pervasive and extensive networks of power and influence, A Secret Society History of the Civil War demonstrates that antebellum secret societies played a greater role in affecting Civil War-era politics than has been previously acknowledged.

Violent Solutions
Violent Solutions

Author: David MacKenzie

Publisher:

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13:

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This book deals with the impact of revolution, nationalism, and secret societies in modern European history from the Enlightenment to World War I. Special attention is devoted to the French Revolution, nationalism and unification of Italy, Germany, and Serbia, and the role of organizations such as "Young Italy" and the Serbian "Black Hand." Contents: List of Illustrations; List of Maps; Preface; The Enlightenment, Freemasonry and Rousseau; The French Revolution, 1789-1799; Babeuf and Buonarroti; Italian Nationalism Before 1848; The Unification of Italy, 1848-1870; German Nationalism and Revolutions of 1848; The Unification of Germany, 1850-1871; The Greek Revolution; The Russian Revolutionary Movement to 1881; The Emergence of Serbia to 1878; Serbia and the Creation of Yugoslavia, 1878-1918; The Legacy of Violence.

Founding Fathers, Secret Societies
Founding Fathers, Secret Societies

Author: Robert Hieronimus

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2005-12-28

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1594778655

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An exploration of the influence of secret societies on the formative documents and symbols of the United States • Reveals the Founding Fathers’ spiritual vision for America as encoded in the Great Seal • Traces the influence of the Iroquois League of Nations upon the Constitution • Exposes the deep connections the Founding Fathers had with the Freemasons and other secret societies All children growing up in America learn who the Founding Fathers were. Most, however, never learn of the founders’ connections to the Freemasons, the Rosicrucians, and other esoteric orders. In Founding Fathers, Secret Societies Robert Hieronimus investigates these important connections and how their influence can be traced throughout our most significant national documents and symbols, especially the Great Seal. He reveals in detail how the reverse of the Great Seal--which appears on the back of the one-dollar bill--is a blueprint that conveys the secret destiny of America. By understanding the kabbalistic meaning of the Great Seal’s reverse, he shows how our current era presents unique opportunities for the fulfillment of our Founding Fathers’ spiritual vision.

Revolutionary Ideas
Revolutionary Ideas

Author: Jonathan Israel

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2014-03-23

Total Pages: 883

ISBN-13: 1400849993

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How the Radical Enlightenment inspired and shaped the French Revolution Historians of the French Revolution used to take for granted what was also obvious to its contemporary observers—that the Revolution was shaped by the radical ideas of the Enlightenment. Yet in recent decades, scholars have argued that the Revolution was brought about by social forces, politics, economics, or culture—almost anything but abstract notions like liberty or equality. In Revolutionary Ideas, one of the world's leading historians of the Enlightenment restores the Revolution’s intellectual history to its rightful central role. Drawing widely on primary sources, Jonathan Israel shows how the Revolution was set in motion by radical eighteenth-century doctrines, how these ideas divided revolutionary leaders into vehemently opposed ideological blocs, and how these clashes drove the turning points of the Revolution. In this compelling account, the French Revolution stands once again as a culmination of the emancipatory and democratic ideals of the Enlightenment. That it ended in the Terror represented a betrayal of those ideas—not their fulfillment.

The Illuminati
The Illuminati

Author: Robert Howells

Publisher: Watkins Media Limited

Published: 2016-10-18

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1780289839

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WikiLeaks and Anonymous are driven by the same ideals and aims as the Illuminati were 250 years ago, and the next counter culture revolution has already begun online. Throughout history governments, dictators and religious leaders have fought to cling to power by either force or manipulation. To counter these there have always been secret societies and groups working in the shadows for the emancipation of humanity. The Illuminati formed in 1776 among European Freemasons and academics with the intention of liberating humanity from physical, mental and spiritual bondage. This brought them into conflict with the ruling elite and religion, but during their brief incarnation they encapsulated the entire ethos of counter-culture into a single system of organized dissent that is still relevant today. The term Illuminati has since become usurped by the idea of a New World Order, but their principles live on through counter-culture and the connected communities of the internet age. Hacktivits and cultural movements like Anonymous and WikiLeaks currently wage war against corrupt corporations and government agencies that try to oppress and exploit society. This book is a wake up call for all who value their liberty and privacy to join the battle to protect counter-culture before it is too late.

Conspiracies of Conspiracies
Conspiracies of Conspiracies

Author: Thomas Milan Konda

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2019-03-15

Total Pages: 451

ISBN-13: 022658576X

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It’s tempting to think that we live in an unprecedentedly fertile age for conspiracy theories, with seemingly each churn of the news cycle bringing fresh manifestations of large-scale paranoia. But the sad fact is that these narratives of suspicion—and the delusional psychologies that fuel them—have been a constant presence in American life for nearly as long as there’s been an America. In this sweeping book, Thomas Milan Konda traces the country’s obsession with conspiratorial thought from the early days of the republic to our own anxious moment. Conspiracies of Conspiracies details centuries of sinister speculations—from antisemitism and anti-Catholicism to UFOs and reptilian humanoids—and their often incendiary outcomes. Rather than simply rehashing the surface eccentricities of such theories, Konda draws from his unprecedented assemblage of conspiratorial writing to crack open the mindsets that lead people toward these self-sealing worlds of denial. What is distinctively American about these theories, he argues, is not simply our country’s homegrown obsession with them but their ongoing prevalence and virulence. Konda proves that conspiracy theories are no harmless sideshow. They are instead the dark and secret heart of American political history—one that is poisoning the bloodstream of an increasingly sick body politic.