Daughters of America

DAUGHTERS OF AMERICA -  The Daughters of America is an American secret society, Nativist organization dating from the late-19th century.  It was founded in 1891 as an auxiliary of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics (JOUAM).

Both the JOUAM and the Daughters of America are descended from the Order of United American Mechanics, founded in 1845.  The Junior Order of United American Mechanics, as its name suggests, was meant to be the youth affiliate of the Order.  The OUAM founded a ladies auxiliary, the Daughters of Liberty in the 1870s.  The JOUAM split from the OUAM in 1885.   When the JOUAM decided to form a Daughters of Liberty group in 1891, the older Order objected.  The Daughters of America were formed instead.  The "National Council, Daughters of American" was chartered in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.  Though it was always considered the auxiliary of JOUAM, it was only officially recognized in 1926. (Another source gives its date of founding as 1888.)

Originally, the order was open to white American women over 16, as well as members of the JOUAM.  Later, in a pamphlet described as "recent" in 1979, the order was described as open to "Patriotic, white male and female citizens of good moral character, who believe in a supreme being as the creator and preserver of the Universe and who favor the upholding the American Public School System and the reading of the Holy Bible in the schools thereof, must be opposed to the union of Church and State; must be literate and capable of giving all the secret signs and words of the Order, or of explaining them if unable to give them by reason of some physical misfortune or defect."

The Daughters of America was still thought to be in existence as late as 1997. Its headquarters was located in Harrisburg, OH in 1979.  In 1930 there were 160,000 members in 33 states.  In 1978 membership numbers were reduced to 19,000 in 26 states.