What is SAR?

Founded in 1889, the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and promoting education to our future generations. SAR is the largest male lineage organization in the United States and consists of 50 state-level societies with more than 33,000 members, 500 local chapters, several international societies including Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

SAR members are not only descended from colonists of European ancestry but also free Black men and Native Americans that aided the cause of American independence.

Prominent SAR members include seventeen U.S. presidents, U.S. senators and representatives, local business and community leaders, as well as foreign dignitaries such as former British PM Sir Winston Churchill, and Kings Juan Carlos I and Felipe VI of Spain. The host of the PBS genealogy show Finding Your Roots, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is also a member.

SAR members have also answered their country’s call in every major American conflict beginning with the battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, and continuing to the present day, including Operation Desert Storm, Bosnia, and the recent actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. SAR members have received the highest awards America can bestow, including the Congressional Medal of Honor.