Masonic is used to describe things relating to the organization of Freemasons. a Masonic lodge on Broughton Street. involved or connected with Freemasonry
Popular movement in the U.S. in the 1830s opposed to Freemasonry. The movement was ignited in 1826 by the disappearance and presumed murder of a New York bricklayer and former Mason, who had supposedly intended to reveal the order's secrets. Reaction against the Masons swept through the northeastern U.S. In 1831 the Anti-Masonic Party became the first U.S. third party and the first party to hold a national convention. It condemned Freemasonry for its secrecy and undemocratic character. Its candidate won Vermont in the 1832 election. By the late 1830s the Anti-Masonic movement had been absorbed into the Whig Party