[1] The Grange, founded after the Civil War in 1867, is the oldest American agricultural advocacy group with a national scope.

[2] The Grange actively lobbied state legislatures and Congress for political goals, such as the Granger Laws to lower rates charged by railroads, and rural free mail delivery by the Post Office.

With Southern Masons as guides, he toured the war-torn countryside in the South and was appalled by the outdated farming practices.

In the western states, Kelley deplored the lack of "progressive agriculture", with illiterate "ignorant" farmers who were "using a system of farming [that] was the same as that handed down by generations gone by".

Many of the state and local granges adopted non-partisan political resolutions, especially regarding the regulation of railroad transportation costs.

[10] Rapid growth infused the national organization with money from dues, and many local granges established consumers' co-operatives, initially supplied by the wholesaler Aaron Montgomery Ward.

Poor fiscal management, combined with organizational difficulties resulting from rapid growth, led to a massive decline in membership.

Grange membership has declined considerably as the percentage of American farmers has fallen from a third of the population in the early 20th century to less than two percent today.

In its 2006 Journal of Proceedings, the organization's report on its annual convention, the organization lays out its mission and how it works towards achieving it through fellowship, service, and legislation: The Grange provides opportunities for individuals and families to develop to their highest potential in order to build stronger communities and states, as well as a stronger nation.In February 2024, the National Grange revised their Mission Statement: Strengthening individuals, families, and communities through service, education, nonpartisan grassroots advocacy, and agricultural awareness.As a non-partisan organization, the Grange supports only policies, never political parties or candidates.

However, this position has been somewhat revised, and the Grange now emphasizes an expansion in the H-2A visa program to increase legal immigration and address the crisis-level labor shortage in agriculture.

The National Grange represents the interests of most Grangers in lobbying activities similar to the state, but on a much larger scale.

The motto of the Grange is In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas ("In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity").