Happy Birthday Illuminati Founded May 1, 1776 Bavaria, Germany

Published May 1, 2026 | By Hal Shurtleff

May 1, marks the anniversary of the founding of the Illuminati.  While some historians believe that the organization ended after it was banned in Bavaria in 1784, other historians believe that it went underground, was responsible for the French Revolution, that its second-generation members founded the Skull and Bones, and commissioned Karl Marx to write The Communist Manifesto.  While it is unlikely that the original organization exists today, its ideological heirs have carried on its mission to destroy Christianity and create a one-world government. We know that they will ultimately fail but they have wreaked much havoc and misery over the past years and continue to do so.

There have been several books published in the early days of the Illuminati’s existence including Proofs of a Conspiracy, Memoirs of Jacobinism and Proof of the Illuminati.   Rev. G.W. Snyder sent a copy of Proofs of a Conspiracy to George Washington who replied:

“It was not my intention to doubt that the Doctrines of the Illuminati, and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more fully satisfied of this fact than I am.”

Several years ago, while our annual family camp was in session, we took a field trip to the Rindge, NH Historical Society where I found copies of Proof of the Illuminati for sale.  When I asked  Karla MacLeod, the  museum’s president, why this book was at the museum, she informed me that the author Rev. Seth Payson was the pastor of the Congregational Church.  He wrote the book in 1802, and it was the basis for his successful campaign for  state senate.  Camp Constitution Press reprinted the book.  A free PDF version is available here:  https://campconstitution.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Proof-of-the-Illuminati-by-Rev-Seth-Payson.pdf

A paperback version is available from our on-line shop:  https://campconstitution.net/shop/

Designed by Eric Conover.