The Freemasons say they are simply a fraternity that aims to make good men better and to support each other. Because they are essentially secret, however, groups such as the Freemasons can stir all kinds of theories. Some conspiracy theorists say that the Freemasons, or Masons, have designs on government control. The thing people think about when they think of Masonry is secrecy. They think of this hidden order that they know almost nothing about," said Steven C. Bullock, author of Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order. The Freemasons have a 500-year history. Originally, they were stonemasons who built the great cathedrals of Europe. There were once anti-Masonic political parties and early 19th-century President John Quincy Adams called the Freemasons a power-hungry "boa constrictor" of an organization. Throughout the centuries, the Freemasons evolved into a wide-ranging, worldwide fraternity with many members having considerable power and influence. In this country, that influence has sometimes reached all the way into the White House. Fourteen of 43 presidents have been Freemasons. "More than one-third of the presidents belonged to the fraternity, so this is a substantial tradition of politicians being involved in Masonry. There are fears at times in American history that Masons are too involved in politics," Bullock said.