When the Sons of the American Revolution refused to admit women, a group of female activists and their allies took matters into their own hands and formed a separate organization: the Daughters of the American Revolution.

It wasn’t uncommon for women to be excluded from male-dominated social organizations in 1890, but the rejection was particularly stinging for women like Mary Smith Lockwood, who only wanted to honor the memory of America’s revolutionary ancestors. Lockwood published a story in the Washington Post titled “Where will the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution place Hannah Arnett?” Hannah Arnett was a Patriot who had famously convinced a group of wavering New Jersey men—including her own husband—to support the revolution. Lockwood argued that Patriots can come in any gender. Thus, Arnett, and others like her, should be honored by men and women alike.

The article garnered support from allies like William O. McDowell, founder of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and a great-grandson of Hannah Arnett. But instead of persuading the SAR to admit women, McDowell offered to help form a separate society: the Daughters of the American Revolution. After the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was founded in 1890, McDowell was one of the first to apply for admission. His application was respectfully rejected.

The initial meeting of what would two months later become the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution was held on August 9, 1890 at the Langham Hotel apartment of Mrs. Ellen Hardin Walworth in Washington, DC. In addition to Walworth, Miss Eugenia Washington and Miss Mary Desha were in attendance. During the meeting the three revised and adopted the organization’s  constitution and appointed the first board of management, which proposed Mrs. Benjamin Harrison as the first president general.

On October 11th, eighteen were in attendance at the Strathmore Arms home of Mrs. Mary S. Lockwood when the organization was officially founded. The DAR soon set up headquarters at the home of Mrs. Mary Cabell and began defining its mission to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and secure America’s future through better education.

In February of 1892, the DAR held its first Continental Congress. The discussion included moving their national headquarters to a new “House Beautiful” to be built in Washington, D.C.

The DAR was officially incorporated by an act of Congress on December 2, 1896. Construction of the beaux art Memorial Continental Hall, the first building of their headquarters, began in 1904. Constitution Hall, now a popular performing venue, was added in 1929, and the 1920 Administration Building was expanded in 1950.

Today, the DAR boasts over 190,000 current members in 3,000 national and international chapters including ten within the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area. Over 930,000 members have been admitted since its founding.

The DAR headquarters includes a decorative arts museum, a collection of over 30,000 objects dated prior to 1840, and educational resources and exhibits. The library, founded in 1896, contains over 225,000 books, 10,000 research files, and thousands of manuscript items related to women’s history, genealogy, and culture. A separate Department of Archives and History includes the national society’s archives, the Americana Collection of imprints and manuscripts, and the DAR’s grave marking program for Revolutionary War Patriots, their spouses, and their daughters.

The DAR maintains several scholarships, awards, and programs aimed at promoting education, patriotism, and American citizenship including the The E Pluribus Unum Educational Initiative to “focus on members of underrepresented groups who supported the cause of the American Revolution” and the 10 Million Names Project which “aims to recover the names of up to 10 million people enslaved in the United States before emancipation, locate their living descendants and provide genealogical resources in a permanent, free, publicly accessible database.”

Having been excluded from the Sons of the American Revolution, the DAR has put an intentional focus on the inclusion of underrepresented Patriots. In doing so, this long-lived organization continues to expand our historical knowledge and broaden our perspectives on what it means to be a patriot.