Antimasonic rhetoric: The strategy of excommunication

Abstract

This essay examines the nature of the antimasonic rhetoric during the late 1820s and early 1830s from the perspective of Therborn's conception of people constituted/reconstituted by discourse which articulates what exists, is good, and is possible. The essay argues that the principal strategy of antimasonic rhetoric was that of excommunication, as it sought to remove Freemasonry from the community, and to relieve Masons of their political power. The essay also notes the transition of the antimasonic rhetoric from that of a moral crusade to mainstream political issues. The short‐term success and long‐term failure of the Antimasonic Party is attributed to the inherent limitations of a negative strategy of excommunication.

Key concepts:

• Antimasonic party
• antimasonry
• excommunication
• ideology
• rhetoric