5. Ludicrous theories involving the Masonic Order became mainstream belief following the unexplained disappearance of William Morgan
A habitual liar, William Morgan emigrated to Canada in 1819 where he claimed, falsely, he had served as a captain during the War of 1812. Alleging also to be a former Master Mason, although actually only attending a lodge in Rochester, New York, for about six months, Morgan penned and threatened to publish a supposed exposé of the Freemasons entitled Illustrations of Masonry. Purporting to disclose the darkest secrets of the order and their nefarious plans for America, Masons immediately condemned Morgan’s allegations as dangerous and baseless. Arrested for his debts soon after, Morgan disappeared in late-1826 in the company of a group of men from his jail cell and thereafter vanished.
Widely accepted Morgan either was murdered and dumped in the Niagara River, or alternatively was paid to disappear and stop his attacks on the Masonic order, his death sparked a series of conspiracy theories across North America. Protests against Freemasons, who quickly became regarded as a sinister organization working against liberty, became commonplace, whilst the Anti-Masonic Party gained mainstream support and contested the presidential elections of 1832. Today, Masonry continues to be regarded with supreme suspicion in the United States, with a substantial proportion still believing in a harmful ulterior motive.