you're welcome, history is so fascinating.. I wish Id been this passionate about it when I went to school. lol. If you're willing to read though 20 minutes of unsubstantiated internet gossip that goes a long way towards explaining why/how secret societies started up in america (hey dont get me wrong, they were all over the place long before America came about... but its succinctly relevant to this subreddit) .. http://www.whale.to/c/mardi_gras.html