what are the masons organization

The Masons, also known as Freemasons, are a fraternal organization that traces its origins to the guilds of stonemasons and cathedral builders of the Middle Ages. The organization evolved from these guilds of operative (working) masons, which began to accept honorary members to bolster their declining membership. From a few of these lodges developed modern symbolic or speculative Freemasonry, which particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries adopted the rites and trappings of ancient religious orders and of chivalric brotherhoods. Today, there are over two million Freemasons in North America, and Masonic Lodges are found in almost every community throughout the United States. The Masonic lodge is the basic organizational unit of Freemasonry, and it meets regularly to conduct the usual formal business of any small organization, such as approving minutes, electing new members, appointing officers, and taking their reports, considering correspondence, bills, and annual accounts, organizing social and charitable events, etc. . Masonry is dedicated to the "Brotherhood of Man" and uses the tools and implements of the masonry craft symbolically in a system of instruction designed to build character and moral values in its members. In short, Freemasonry is about making good men better.