Who We Are

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, founded in 1890 and headquartered in Washington, DC, is a volunteer women's organization, dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America's future through better education for children.

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.

Eligibility…

Admission to membership in the NSDAR is by invitation through a chapter in your State Organization or Unit Overseas. No chapter may discriminate against an applicant on the basis of race or creed.

The National Society accepts service, with some exceptions, for the period between 19 April 1775 (Battle of Lexington) and 26 November 1783 (withdrawal of British Troops from New York).

To check on your eligibility, please click on the link to direct you to the National Society’s website for more information: http://www.dar.org/natsociety/content.cfm?ID=145&hd=n&FO=Y

DAR History…

The DAR 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 objects 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.

Daughters of the American Revolution...

* awards $150,000 in scholarships and financial aid each year to high school seniors, undergraduate, and graduate students.

* participates in literacy programs for adults and tutoring programs for students preparing for the high school GED.

* supports schools for the underprivileged with annual donations exceeding $1,000,000.

* volunteers more than 55,000 hours of time annually to veteran patients in VA hospitals and non-VA facilities.

* preserves local landmarks and historic structures in communities across the country.

* conserves more than 30,000 objects of our material culture in the DAR Museum, making it one of the foremost collections of pre-Industrial American decorative arts.

* archives nearly 5,000 early American manuscripts and imprints in the DAR Americana Collection.

* donated more than $1,000,000 to the Statue of Liberty and Independence Hall restoration projects and the creation of the WWII Memorial.

Who We Are...