Evidence: 3 (Real but overstated)
| Claim | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Many Founding Fathers were Masons | TRUE: ~16% of Declaration signers, ~33% of Constitution signers. Washington, Franklin, Revere, Hancock, Marshall |
| Freemasonry shaped American values | PARTIALLY TRUE: Enlightenment values (liberty, equality, religious tolerance) overlap with Masonic values. But these were also broadly Enlightenment ideas, not exclusively Masonic |
| Washington DC is designed with Masonic geometry | MIXED: L’Enfant (designer) was likely a Mason. Some street patterns resemble Masonic symbols when viewed from above. But this is contested — urban grids naturally produce geometric patterns |
| The Great Seal was designed by Masons | FALSE: Benjamin Franklin was on the original committee but his design was rejected. The final seal was designed by Charles Thomson (not a Mason) and William Barton (not a Mason) |
| Masons control the US government today | NO EVIDENCE: Masonic membership has declined dramatically (from 4M+ in 1960 to ~1M today). No credible evidence of institutional control |