Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)

Early History

In 1889, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) was founded to commemorate the American Revolutionary War, preserve its legacy, and promote education about the Revolution. Membership in the organization was limited to individuals who descended from people who participated in the war, either through military or non-military means. However, because SAR did not admit female members, the Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 by four women, including Eugenia Washington, a great-grandniece of George Washington, for women who were similarly descended. DAR’s first president general was First Lady Caroline Scott Harrison, wife of then-President Benjamin Harrison. ^{2 3}

Throughout its early history, DAR expanded its membership, established itself as a civil society group, and engaged in philanthropic work oriented toward historical preservation and assisting government efforts. For instance, DAR established an archive of Revolutionary War soldiers, financed a hospital ship for use by the U.S. Military during the Spanish-American War, provided goods to immigrants being processed at Ellis Island, and provided care packages to 197,000 soldiers during World War II. ^{2 3 4}

Membership

As of August 2026, Daughters of the American Revolution had 190,000 members spread across about 3,000 chapters. It claims to have had over one million members since its founding in 1890. ^{5 1}

Racial and Ethnic Minorities

While the DAR did not officially exclude members based on race, ethnicity, or religion, it had no Black members until 1977 and regularly denied entry to potential Jewish and indigenous members. Left-of-center publication The Atlantic described DAR as embracing “white Christian nationalism” during World War I. The Atlantic reported that DAR supported what it called “pure Americanism” after the Great War, including strong immigration restrictions. ⁴

In 1939, DAR denied Black opera singer Marian Anderson the opportunity to perform at a DAR event at Constitution Hall due to her race, precipitating then-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s resignation from the organization in protest. Later, Anderson was permitted to perform in Constitution Hall in 1943, but a general ban on Black performers was maintained for a decade. ^{6 4}

In the early 1980s, a few years after admitting its first Black member, a local chapter of DAR denied membership to Lena Ferguson, a mixed-race applicant, an act which put its tax-exempt status into question. However, DAR entered into a negotiation with Ferguson, which concluded in 1984 with an amendment to its charter forbidding race-based membership discrimination. ⁴

Also in 1984, DAR considered adding a bylaw to its charter requiring that all members prove that their Revolutionary War ancestors were born “legitimately,” a proposal which received backlash from critics claiming the rule could be used to exclude racial minorities who lacked proper documentation of ancestral legitimacy, especially Black members descended from slaves. ⁴

Transgender Membership

Historically, DAR only permitted biologically female members. However, in 2023, DAR officially amended its guidelines to admit applicants who were born male but identify as transgender women, and a spokesperson for the organization confirmed that DAR had existing transgender members. ⁷

This rule change sparked a backlash within the organization from many of its members led by a group named Daughters Advocating for Restoration. However, in February 2025, the governing body of DAR rejected a proposal to ban transgender members and in June 2026, DAR’s Continental Congress voted to maintain the membership status of such individuals by a vote of 1,474 to 981. ⁷

Activities

As of August 2026, Daughters of the American Revolution was funding U.S. historical preservation projects through its DAR Historic Preservation Grants program. In 2022, DAR made 36 preservation grants worth a total of $250,253 to projects involving, among other things, Washington, D.C.’s cherry trees and Revolutionary War graves in Frankfort Cemetery in Kentucky. ^{8 9}

As of August 2026, DAR was funding scholarships for the children of DAR members, elementary and secondary school teachers, medical care workers, Native Americans, and others; was running a Genealogical Research System to track the genealogical records of its members and the descendants of supporters of the American Revolution; was funding educational and research programs designed to emphasize the roles of racial minorities, ethnic minorities, and women on the American side of the Revolutionary War; and was organizing volunteer projects for its members, including volunteer work at schools, historical monuments, and programs for military veterans. ^{10  11 12 13 14}