The European Enlightenment: had a tremendous impact upon the United States. Many of the American founders were highly impressed with and influenced by the Enlightenment. America's 18th Century elite even picked up an Enlightenment philosophy known as Deism, which believed, as its ancient "Mystery" predecessors, in the enlightenment of the soul. Though English in descent, many idolized France that was itself a key nation in the Enlightenment. And as their French contemporaries, many of America's 18th Century elite were freemasons. A cursory glance at American symbols such as the great seal show obvious Egyptian influence, a product no doubt of Enlightenment philosophies. Pictured above is the great seal. The reverse seal displays a pyramid with an eye above it. Both are Egyptian symbols, the pyramid being one of sacred geometry and the "all seeing eye" belonging to none other than the Egyptian "Child of Light," the god Heru. As if to further bolster this connection with Egypt, and in particular Heru the "Child of Light," the obverse seal displays the American eagle. Comparing the depiction of the eagle, wings and talons outstretched with a sunburst above its head, with the falcon image of Heru (at the top of the page) shows the glaring similarities. This seal, completed in 1782, would find itself on a host of American documents including the dollar bill and presidential proclamations.

The philosophies of the upliftment of the soul did not apply however to the downtrodden inhabitants of America who suffered under probably the most harsh form of slavery known to mankind. If any knowledge of the African contribution to the Enlightenment was known at the time, it was ignored, misreported and most assuredly kept from any slaves. American slavery was a brutal and oppressive system that demanded just the opposite of the Enlightenment philosophies. Virginia House of Representatives Henry Berry would state proudly, "We have, as far as possible, closed every avenue by which the light may enter the slave's mind. If we could extinguish the capacity to see the light, our work will be complete. They would then be on the level of the beast of the fields and we then should be safe." And herein lay the greatest hypocrisy: while knowledge was urged for whites, ignorance was found necessary for blacks. In fact those who espoused the loudest sentiments of Enlightenment, such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, were owners of large plantations, which dealt in human misery. But luckily not even so brutal and oppressive an institution could keep blacks in darkness.

Prince Hall was another child of the Enlightenment. Not much is known of him, but it is believed he came from the Caribbean. It is rumored, but by no means confirmed, that his father was a white Englishman while his mother was a free black woman. A free man of color, Prince Hall arrives in the United States in 1765. Free blacks in the US at this time did not enjoy all the luxuries of their white counterparts. And it was probably this second-class treatment, which allowed many of them to empathize with their fellow brethren held in bondage. Many in fact identified with their African heritage, taking a pride in their beginnings. It was quite common at the time for many free blacks, already a few generations removed from Africa, to refer to themselves as "Africans" or "Ethiopians. " So it is not surprising to find black institutions at the time such as the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Prince Hall and 14 other free blacks were initiated into freemasonry by European freemasons in 1775. However he and his brethren found themselves treated unequally within the order, and in 1784 petitioned for a move to independence. In 1787 the first African Lodge of freemasonry was begun in the United States. And thus the secret society, so fundamental in African history and lost through the harshness of slavery, became once again a strong institution in the black community of America. Many of these men charged themselves with the upliftment not just of themselves, but their brethren who lay in bondage. And many black freemasons were strong in abolitionist movements. Thus Prince Hall masons found themselves providing service to a community well in need. What is more, the African heritage of freemasonry was not lost upon many of them. And it is even rumored that Prince Hall, a child of the Enlightenment himself, is one of the first blacks in America to acknowledge the link between Africa and Egypt.

As the dust of the Civil war settled and slavery was eradicated, many Blacks saw an era of prosperity and hope. This dream was cut drastically as a concerted effort was begun by whites to destroy any advances, which Blacks had made for themselves. This effort was extremely successful in removing Blacks from the many state and federal offices which Reconstruction had allowed them to hold. But this was not enough. The architects of the revived South needed something more to further the cause of white supremacy and Black oppression. Out of this need, the era of Jim Crow was born with its "separate but equal" claims. And with it came a wave of violence against America's newest citizens. The social atmosphere of white supremacy which Jim Crow had managed to create soon became a tide of hatred. Bolstered by the idea of the inferiority of Blacks and the protection of "white womanhood," whites saw it as nothing to trample Blacks in a storm of violence. These attacks included lynching, burnings, and race riots. And though the majority of this violence took place in the South, the North was by no means immune. For more than a century, angry whites made the life of Black America a continuous nightmare. It was out of this atmosphere that the black college fraternity and sorority was born.

To survive these pressures many in the Black community turned inwards. Key to black America's endurance were secret societies, such as freemasonry, and the newly formed black colleges. However even within such institutions, one could not escape the racism that existed throughout America. And for those who attended white campuses, the racism of the early 1900s must have been unimaginable: lynchings, beatings and other forms of racism a daily occurrence. Two of the greatest ideologies blacks could follow at the moment were those of Booker T. Washington and WEB DuBois. Washington urged that in the face of such overwhelming pressures, blacks should create and maintain their own institutions. He urged blacks to discontinue attempts at integration and instead focus upon building up the black community. DuBois on the other hand urged that blacks should fight to receive equal treatment under the law. And even more importantly he felt that blacks should have a sense of African cultural identity and self worth. It can be said that these two ideologies probably helped lay the groundwork for the black college fraternity and sorority. Following Washington's ideology these newly founded organizations were built by blacks for blacks. And while they sought to uplift their communities, they also saw the need to fight heavily against injustices. Further in the path of DuBois, they imbued themselves with a strong cultural identity. The first black college fraternity is often rumored to be Sigma Pi Phi, founded in 1904. But this is a misnomer. Sigma Pi Phi was founded in 1904 as an organization for professionals and college graduates and NOT for black college students. In this sense it was rather much like the other more established secret societies such as the Freemasons, Eastern stars, etc. There have been claims that other attempts were made to start similar black secret societies on white college campuses in the early 1900s. Whatever the case, the first successful attempt is accomplished in 1906 by 7 college students on the white college campus of Cornell University. These figures, called the 7 Jewels of Alpha Phi Alpha, laid the foundation for the remaining black college letter organizations to follow. Pictured above are Booker T. Washington (left) and WEB DuBois.

These college organizations were born out of a mixture of black identity, oppression and a legacy that stretches back to Africa itself. Many of them were formed, in a sense, to emulate freemasons and the secret societies of most ancient times. (Contrary to rumors however, these organizations were NOT founded by freemasons nor organizations such as Sigma Pi Phi.) They served as a place where a rites of passage could be administered and sought to make men and women ready to enter society. That they sought to give themselves a "racial significance" should not be ignored. These organizations were founded to help black men and women first and foremost. That they sought to imbue themselves with an African cultural heritage should also not be ignored. In Alpha Phi Alpha the African connection is readily seen in such symbols as the Her-em-akhet (sphinx), a symbol representing power, mysticism and the triumph of knowledge over ignorance, order over chaos, etc. Another African symbol of Alpha Phi Alpha is the pyramid, a symbol of foundation, sacred geometry and more. Another glaring example of Africa in Alpha Phi Alpha is the constant reference to Ethiopia and the Her-em-akhet, including hymns and poems. Charles H. Wesley would write, "To the Alpha Phi Alpha brotherhood African history and civilization, the Sphinx, and Ethiopian tradition bring new meanings and these are interpreted with new significance to others. As Americans of European parentage point with pride to the ancestral history of their people, so Alpha Phi Alpha would have the Negroes of America look with pride upon African civilization with its kingdoms, its governments and its laws, its social institutions, its buildings and roads, and its evidences of indigenous progress, unaffected as it was, by outside influences." If one looks closely enough at the remaining college letter organizations, one can see a host of ancient African symbols within them.

It should first be stated that nothing written on this page about Alpha Phi Alpha or the remaining organizations are "secret" in nature. All information given here is of common knowledge(i.e., the sphinx and its meanings existed long before Alpha Phi Alpha). This page does not include secret handshakes, words, or any specific secret information of any organization. If anyone feels as if their organization has been betrayed by this information, please contact the author at egungun@excite.com

While these organizations use Greek letters, that is probably the most Greek part of them. What is more, a great deal of the Greek language may be borrowed from the Egyptian lexicon. In fact the Greek alphabet is Phoenician in origin. And we know that much of Phoenician culture came by way of Egypt. As for symbols, the green ivy was said to be sacred to the god Ausar (Osiris) within Egypt. The title Basileus derives from the word "Basilisk", a griffin like animal often associated with leadership and royalty. This association can be traced back to Narmer, the first king of Egypt who has the oldest griffin-basilisk etched upon the famed Narmer palette. Colors such as gold and royal blue are sacred Egyptian colors; in fact the "royal" in royal blue refers to Egyptian royalty. The title Polemarch derives from the Greek "polemarchos" and was said to be the ceremonial commander of an army. While the root "polis" is Greek for "city-state," the root "mar" is derived from the Egyptian "mer m'shau" also meaning "commander of an army." In Africa elephants were often symbols of power and intelligence. The Roman Minerva is derived from the Greek Athena, goddess of wisdom who is herself conceived in Africa. The tale goes that Zeus, the Greek king of the gods was traveling through Africa when he was overcome by a terrible headache. He returned to Mt. Olympus where Hermes (a Greek version of the Egyptian god of wisdom, Tehuti or Thoth) split open his head with a spike. Out of Zeus' head stepped his newborn daughter Athena, fully clothed and armored. Athena is thought to be derived from none other than the Egyptian goddess Neith. In fact the very word "A-then-a" is thought to be derived from "A-Neith-a." The word Oracle is also of Egyptian origin. In Egypt the "Tep ra" were thought to be women who uttered the words of God. It should also be noted that the most famed of the Greek oracles were described as black women. These are probably but a few African derived symbols in black letter organizations.

In conclusion we can understand that secret societies are as old as mankind. And Africa, being the birthplace of mankind, was the first to create such institutions. They functioned as a rites of passage for young boys and girls to become men and women of society. They functioned for the purpose of preparing individuals to become professionals in whatever caste they may belong. And lastly they functioned in their highest purpose, the upliftment of the soul and thus providing the "greatest good" for the individual and society. This was part and parcel of African societies and could be found interwoven closely within African religion. Along the Nile region of Africa the world's oldest cultural complexes arose, Nubia and then Egypt, and from them these African philosophies found themselves taken into the Mediterranean and Eastern world. Thus the "Mysteries," as they were called, flourished from Greece to Persia. It would be centuries later, in 18th Century Europe, that a fascination with these Mysteries in the form of the Enlightenment would again arise. And these men, following the origins of these philosophies, recognized ancient Africa as the repository of this "enlightened" knowledge. At the root of these philosophies were such notions as sacred geometry, mental resurrection, receiving or seeking "light" (knowledge) and the upliftment of the soul. These 18th Century European men traced not only their Enlightened philosophies to ancient Africa, but their masonic beliefs as well. The grand hypocrisy of these men and their Enlightened view of mankind, was the brutal and oppressive institution of slavery. Thus the descendants of the very people who gave the world these great philosophies were denied access to them. But many free blacks of the Enlightenment era recognized and took pride not only in their individual African roots, but also in what they perceived as the African origins of these "enlightened" philosophies. Thus Prince Hall freemasonry was born. After slavery, as oppression took on new meaning in an era of rampant violence and disfranchisement, blacks in America looked once more to these secret organizations. In the new era of black college life, many blacks sought to create organizations around which to unify themselves. They imbued these organizations with lofty goals and strong cultural connections which can be traced to Africa itself. Understanding this may dispel much of the myth surrounding these black college letter organizations and perhaps spur them on to continue in the rich legacy and ideals their founders were drawing upon decades ago.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Written by Bro. Griot. Copyright 1998. All rights reserved. Except as provided under U.S. copyright law, all written information may not be reproduced, resold, distributed or modified without the express permission the author.

Pictures & Information Courtesy of
Black Athena Vols. I & II by Martin Bernal
Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization by Anthony T. Browder
History of Alpha Phi Alpha by Charles H. Wesley
Frat & Soror by James E. Brunson
Man, God and Civilization by John G. Jackson,
Before the Mayflower by Lerone Bennett and the
Africana Studies Research Page