| The National Society Daughters of the American
Revolution was founded on October 11, 1890, during a time that was
marked by a revival in patriotism and intense interest in the beginnings
of the United States of America. Women felt the desire to express their
patriotic feelings and were frustrated by their exclusion from men's
organizations formed to perpetuate the memory of ancestors who fought to
make this country free and independent. As a result, a group of
pioneering women in the nation's capital formed their own organization
and the Daughters of the American Revolution has carried the torch of
patriotism ever since.
The objectives laid forth in the first meeting
of the DAR have remained the same in over 100 years of active service to
the nation. Those objectives are: Historical - to perpetuate the memory
and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence;
Educational - to carry out the injunction of Washington in his farewell
address to the American people, "to promote, as an object of
primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge,
thus developing an enlightened public opinion"; and Patriotic -
to cherish, maintain, and extend the institutions of American freedom,
to foster true patriotism and love of country, and to aid in securing
for mankind all the blessings of liberty.
Since its founding in 1890, DAR has admitted
more than 800,000 members.
DAR History Highlights
- DAR Museum was founded in 1890 as a
repository for family treasures. Today, the museum contains over
30,000 historical relics that form a collective memory of the
decorative and fine arts in America from 1700-1850.
- The DAR Library was founded in 1896 as a
collection of genealogical and historical publications for the use
of staff genealogists verifying application papers for the National
Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Shortly after 1900 the
growing collection was opened to the public and has remained so ever
since.
- The U.S. Army appointed DAR member, Dr.
Anita Newcomb McGee, as Acting Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Army, in
charge of nurses. She organized the DAR Hospital Corps, Army Nurse
Corps, and served as NSDAR's first Librarian General.
- The DAR Hospital Corps certified 1,081
nurses for service during the Spanish-American
War. DAR later funded pensions for many of these nurses who did
not qualify for government pensions.
- During the Spanish-American War, DAR
purchased a ship's tender for the USS Missouri to be used as a
hospital launch for transporting the wounded from shore to ship.
- To help with the war effort during World War
I, DAR loaned its National Headquarters land to the United States.
The federal government used the land to erect a temporary war office
building that provided office space for 600 people.
- After World War I, DAR funded the
reconstruction of the water system in the village of Tilloloy,
France, and donated more than $130,000 for the support of 3,600
French war orphans.
- DAR provided materials for sewing, wood, and
leatherwork to the immigrants detained for processing on Ellis
Island. This helped to alleviate the depression and anxiety of these
men and women who were strangers in a new land.
- In 1921, DAR compiled and published the
"DAR Manual for Citizenship." DAR distributed this guide
to American immigrants at Ellis Island and other ports of entry. To
date, more than 10 million manuals have been distributed.
- From November 1921 until February 1922,
world leaders met in DAR Memorial Continental Hall for the
Conference on Limitation of Armaments, a groundbreaking meeting for
peace.
- The Americana Collection, founded in the
early 1940s, brought together rare manuscripts and imprints
previously scattered among the holdings of the DAR Museum and DAR
Library. Today, the collection flourishes from more than 60 years of
actively seeking out and acquiring artifacts that reflect a unique
image of our nation.
- DAR raised thousands of dollars to assist in
the re-forestation project of the U.S. Forestry Service during the
1940s.
- During World War II, DAR provided 197,000
soldiers with care packages and sponsored all 89 crews of Landing
Craft Infantry ships.
- During World War II, the use of the DAR
buildings was given to the American Red Cross. A children's day
nursery was set up in the basement of Constitution Hall for enlisted
men's wives who had to go to work.
- The tradition of celebrating the
Constitution was started many years ago by the Daughters of the
American Revolution (DAR). In 1955, the DAR petitioned Congress to
set aside September 17-23 annually to be dedicated for the
observance of Constitution Week. The resolution was later adopted by
the U.S. Congress and signed into Public Law #915 on August 2, 1956,
by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The DAR, founded in 1890 and headquartered in
Washington, D.C., is a volunteer women's service organization dedicated
to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing
America's future through better education for children.
DAR members volunteer more than 55,000 hours
annually to veteran patients, award over $150,000 in scholarships and
financial aid each year to students, and support schools for the
underprivileged with annual donations exceeding one million dollars.
As one of the most inclusive genealogical
societies in the country, DAR boasts 170,000 members in 3,000 chapters
across the United States and internationally. Any woman 18 years or
older-regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background-who can prove
lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible
for membership.
Encompassing an entire downtown city block, DAR
National Headquarters houses one of the nation's premier genealogical
libraries, one of the foremost collections of pre-industrial American
decorative arts, Washington's largest concert hall, and an extensive
collection of early American manuscripts and imprints.
DAR Facts
| Founded: |
October
11, 1890
Incorporated 1896 by an Act of Congress |
| Objectives: |
Historic
Preservation, Patriotism, Education |
| Motto: |
God,
Home, and Country |
| Membership: |
Approximately
170,000 members
2,296 chapters in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
International chapters in Australia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom |
| Eligibility
for Membership: |
| |
Any
woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic
background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the
American Revolution. |
NSDAR Management
President General: Presley Merritt
Wagoner
The National Society is led by the President
General and an Executive Committee of 11 National Officers. In addition
to rulings by the Executive Committee, policy for the Society is made by
the National Board of Management, a body composed of the Executive
Officers, 21 Vice Presidents General, and 54 State Regents. The National
Board of Management meets six times a year at DAR headquarters in
Washington, D.C.
Most of DAR's volunteer work is accomplished
under a committee system comprised of a national chairman appointed by
the President General and locally appointed state and chapter chairmen.
The national chairmen direct and supervise the activities of their
committees with the assistance of the national vice chairmen.
Continental Congress, the DAR annual national
meeting, is named after the original Continental
Congress which governed the American Colonies. DAR Continental
Congress attracts approximately 4,000 members to Washington, D.C., each
year. |
