©The Two Crafts
The title of the book is “The Constitutions of the Free-Masons; containing the History, Charges, Regulations, &c. of that Most Ancient and Right Worshipful Fraternity. For the Use of the Lodges. London. In the year of Masonry 5723, Anno Domini 1723″. Yes, in 1723, the publishing market still had a lot to learn about catchy titles.
The book that would become known as “The Constitutions” or “Anderson’s Constitutions” would live longer than its, probable, desired impact. The impact of Andersons’ Constitutions varied from country to country as shown by Jacob (1991), Porset and Révauger (2006), and Scanlan (2014). Nonetheless, there is still work to be done when it comes to the influence of the Constitutions in Latin America.
One of the interesting points is to observe how – and if – the Constitutions shaped Latin American Freemasonries, and whether it was used in its entirety. Another relevant aspect is to peruse how and when this book, or parts of it, reached each of the twenty countries grouped in this geopolitical invention.
This is obviously a gigantic task. However, if we break it into small pieces, it may be meneageable. Being so, I am welcoming any information, hints or guesses, on the arrival, reception, divulgation, etc. of the Constitutions in any Latin American country.
References
Jacob, Margaret C. Living the Enlightenment: Freemasonry and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Europe (New York, Oxford University Press, 2001).
Porset, Charles and Cécile Révauger (orgs.) Franc-Maçonnerie et Religions dans L’Europe des Lumières (Paris, Honoré Champion, 2006).
Scanlan, Mathew D.J., “The Origins of Freemasonry: England” in Handbook of Freemasonry, Henrik Bogdan and Jan A.M. Snoek (eds.) (Leiden, Brill, 2014).
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