Emerson exaggerated, but his statement contained a large measure of truth. Biography constitutes a major, vital element in the study of history, dealing, as it does, with an examination of the lives of individuals. History is the narrative of the human race or of groups within the human race. It is usually regarded as the collective record of the race and its constituent groups, because most of the individuals comprising the group influence history-if at all-collectively, with each playing only a minor, supporting and, often, passive role. The individuals are submerged in the mass. A few individuals, however, influence events through actions and expressed thoughts that give them a notable identity and cause them to be remembered. They have influenced the course of human actions and circumstances as individuals rather than as an anonymous part of a collective whole. It is their biographies that constitute the most important element of history and give Emerson's statement a large degree of validity.
This biographical view of history-or, more precisely, this emphasis on the biographical element in the study of history-is of particular importance to Freemasonry, which attempts to teach its ethical principles and moral values through ritual and dramas based upon Biblical or historical examples. Both ritual and dramas stress the individual's role in influencing the course of history and the effect of moral and ethical attitudes in determining that individual's effect on history. In an earlier work, BIBLICAL CHARACTERS IN FREEMASONRY, the author discussed this subject in relation to individuals found in both the Bible and the Masonic degrees. Later volumes are planned to provide biographies of those individuals from Ancient and Medieval history who are found in the Masonic ritual or dramas. This volume deals with the biographies of individuals who lived in the time of the American Revolution and are mentioned or portrayed in Masonic ritual or drama. All appear or are mentioned in the Scottish Rite 20th Degree, the only degree dealing with Freemasonry in the United States.
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