[4][5][6] In 1889, the centennial of President George Washington's inauguration was celebrated, and Americans looked for additional ways to recognize their past.

"[7] On July 21 of that year, William O. McDowell, a great-grandson of Hannah White Arnett, published an article in The Washington Post offering to help form a society to be known as the Daughters of the American Revolution.

They began a practice of installing markers at the graves of Revolutionary War veterans to indicate their service, and adding small flags at their gravesites on Memorial Day.

For instance, they installed a monument at the site of a spring where Polly Hawkins Craig and other women got water to use against flaming arrows, in the defense of Bryan Station (present-day Lexington, Kentucky).

In addition to installing markers and monuments, DAR chapters have purchased, preserved, and operated historic houses and other sites associated with the war.

The organization describes itself as "one of the most inclusive genealogical societies"[18] in the United States, noting on its website that, "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".

[18] The current DAR President General is Pamela Rouse Wright, the founder and owner of a jewelry and luxury goods business in Texas.

Membership in the DAR today is open to all women, regardless of race or religion, who can prove lineal bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving United States independence.

Qualifying participants in achieving independence include the following: DAR published a book, available online,[20] with the names of thousands of minority patriots, to enable family and historical research.

Temporary exhibits in the galleries have featured women's arts and crafts, including items from the DAR's quilt and embroidery collections.

Volunteers teach English, tutor reading, prepare students for GED examinations, raise funds for literacy programs, and participate in many other ways.

Essays are judged "for historical accuracy, adherence to topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness."

[28][29] Young women in the Children of the American Revolution who are either eighteen years of age or a senior in high school may be presented as debutantes at the Virginia DAR State Conference in Richmond.

In her letter to the DAR, Roosevelt wrote, "I am in complete disagreement with the attitude taken in refusing Constitution Hall to a great artist...You had an opportunity to lead in an enlightened way and it seems to me that your organization has failed."

African-American author Zora Neale Hurston criticized Roosevelt's refusal to condemn the Board of Education of Washington, D.C.'s simultaneous decision to exclude Anderson from singing at the segregated white Central High School.

[35] Batchelor's admission as the first known African American member of DAR sparked international interest after it was featured in a story on page one of The New York Times.

[37] Ferguson met the lineage requirements and could trace her ancestry to Jonah Gay, a white man who fought in Maine.

"[37] After King's comments were reported in a page one story, outrage erupted, and the City Council threatened to revoke the DAR's real estate tax exemption.

[39] In 2004, Maria Williams-Cole and Arleathia Carter Williams became the first two African-American members of the DAR in Prince George's County, Maryland.

[20][39] In 2007, the DAR posthumously honored Mary Hemings Bell, an individual enslaved by Thomas Jefferson, as a "Patriot of the Revolution."

[42] Raney founded Daughter Dialogues, a podcast documenting the narratives of black members of the DAR, which launched on July 1, 2021.

[44] In June 2019, Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelly became the first African American elected to the DAR National Board of Management when she was installed as New York State Regent.

[47] In December 2022, DAR donated $150,000 to the Marian Anderson Museum to help with restoration costs following flood damage to the building in 2020.

[49] Gordon Weaver is a descendant of Anthony Roberts, the first free African-American patriot recognized by the organization at the national level.

DAR spokesperson Bren Landon told Newsweek that the amendment "provides additional non-discrimination language" that protects the society's tax-exempt status.

"[53] Colonel Teagan Livingston, a transgender woman and retired United States Air Force officer, joined the Daughters of the American Revolution in New Jersey in 2022.

[106] In the American medical drama television series Grey's Anatomy, the character Miranda Bailey mentions in the third season episode Scars and Souvenirs that she received a DAR scholarship in her youth.