Independence Masons
Brothers of the SquareBy Cole Rourke
Length13h 47m
About this audiobook
They signed the Declaration of Independence, led troops in battle, and helped shape the United States. Many of them were Freemasons. This book tells their real stories — without the marble-statue myths.
Independence Masons: Brothers of the Square follows the gritty, often contradictory lives of the Masonic Founders who risked everything for liberty. From tavern backrooms to blood-soaked battlefields, it shows how the working tools of Freemasonry played out in the lives of men who measured principle against ambition, war, and the harsh realities of their time.
No sanitized history. No romantic fluff. Just the raw truth of brothers who helped build a nation while wrestling with the same contradictions many still face today.
If you want the honest story of the Freemasons who helped create America, told with clarity and respect for the rough ashlar, this is it.
Audiobook details
GenreHistory, Biography and Memoir
Length13 hrs 47 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMay 6, 2026
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1INDEPENDENCE MASONS
2Copyright
3Introduction: A Note on Method
4Part One
5Chapter 1: The Green Dragon Tavern
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6Chapter 2: Benjamin Franklin — The Runaway Printer
7Chapter 3: Benjamin Franklin — Brother Franklin
8Chapter 4: Benjamin Franklin — Institution Builder
9Chapter 5: Benjamin Franklin — The Reckoning
10Chapter 6: Benjamin Franklin — Paris
11Chapter 7: Benjamin Franklin — The Last Campaign
12Chapter 8: John Hancock — The Merchant Prince
13Chapter 9: John Hancock — The Bold Signature
14Chapter 10: Richard Stockton — The Reluctant Revolutionary
15Chapter 11: William Hooper — Both Sides of the Mob
16Chapter 12: George Walton — The Rough Ashlar
17hapter 13: William Whipple — The Sea Captain
18Chapter 14: Joseph Hewes — The Merchant of Edenton
19Chapter 15: Joseph Hewes — The Navy from Nothing
20Chapter 16: Robert Treat Paine — The Bookish Sailor
21Chapter 17: Robert Treat Paine — The Losing Prosecutor
22Chapter 18: William Ellery — The Man Who Watched Every Face
23Chapter 19: Matthew Thornton — The Late Signer
24Chapter 20: Elbridge Gerry — The Stubborn Signer
25Part Two
26Chapter 21: The Crucible in Philadelphia
27Chapter 22: The Bomb Drops and the Storm Begins
28Chapter 23: Jefferson in the Furnace
29Chapter 24: The Draft Is Presented
30Chapter 25: The Night Rodney Rode
31Chapter 26: The Twenty-Five Percent
32Chapter 27: Two Signatures, Not Fifty-Six
33Part Three
34Chapter 28: John Hancock — The Reprieve
35Chapter 29: Richard Stockton — The Bill Comes Due
36Chapter 30: William Hooper — The Fugitive Years
37Chapter 31: William Whipple — The Promise Delayed
38Chapter 32: Joseph Hewes — The Only One Who Died at His Post
39Chapter 33: Robert Treat Paine — Ursus Major
40Chapter 34: William Ellery — The Man Who Burned His Own Papers
41Chapter 35: Matthew Thornton — An Honest Man
42Chapter 36: George Walton — The Forged Letter
43Chapter 37: Elbridge Gerry — The Salamander
44Closing: What the Stone Remembers
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