The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1890, at a time when women were barred from joining the men's patriotic societies then forming to honor Revolutionary War ancestors. A group of women banded together to create their own organization instead—one dedicated to historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Since then, more than one million women have become members, drawn together by a shared bond: a documented lineal descent from someone who supported American independence.

Any woman 18 or older who can prove that lineage is eligible to join, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background. Today, DAR is a nonprofit, non-political women's service organization with chapters across the country and around the world, still guided by the same three founding pillars over a century later.