Saint Joseph Chapter DAR Saint Joseph, Missouri

10/12/2026

National Day of Service. St Joseph Chapter making pumpkin decorations for two senior living homes. Thank you Daughter Nancy for your hard work and dedication.

10/11/2026

09/17/2026

🇺🇸 📜 September 17, 1787 — The Signing of the United States Constitution✍️

In Philadelphia's Independence Hall, 39 delegates signed the framework of the United States government.

The Constitutional Convention had opened May 25. Twelve states sent delegates; Rhode Island sent none. Behind closed doors, they spent nearly four months on representation, executive power, and how authority would be divided between the states and the nation.

The result was seven articles. Its opening words — "We the People" — introduced three branches with checks upon one another, and a process for amending the document itself.

Signing did not make it law. Three delegates present that day refused: George Mason, Edmund Randolph, and Elbridge Gerry. Ratification required nine state conventions. New Hampshire became the ninth on June 21, 1788, and the new government began operating in 1789.

Amended 27 times since, it remains the world's longest-surviving written national constitution.

Today, 239 years on, join Constituting America for Constitution Day, livestreamed from George Washington's Mount Vernon.

Thursday, September 17, 2026
1:00–2:30 p.m. ET
The Constitution — How & Why It Matters

Featuring students, contest winners, and special guests. Free livestream.
Learn more: https://constitutingamerica.org/constitution-day-2026

09/14/2026

🇺🇸📜 "Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there"

On the night of September 13–14, 1814, a Maryland lawyer watched a fort refuse to fall — and wrote the words that became our national anthem.

Francis Scott Key had gone aboard a British warship to negotiate the release of Dr. William Beanes but he wasn't allowed to leave. From roughly eight miles below the fort, he watched sixteen British ships bombard Fort McHenry for twenty-five hours, he dreaded the sight at dawn being the British flag flying over Baltimore.

When he saw the American flag still aloft, he wrote the first verse on the back of a letter.

"And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, / Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there."

He titled it "The Defence of Fort M'Henry," and it was set to the tune of a popular song, "To Anacreon in Heaven." The failed bombardment ended the British assault on Baltimore — a city that had spent a year preparing its own defenses. In 1931, Congress made "The Star-Spangled Banner" the national anthem of the United States.

A self-governing people defended a harbor no monarch had ordered them to hold. That is what consent of the governed looks like in practice.

Two hundred and twelve years later, that flag is still sung about — this week, by the next generation.

Constitution Day Livestream from Mount Vernon — winning song performances, special guests, and the announcement of our 2026 We The Future Contest winners.

📅 Thursday, September 17
🕐 1:00–2:30 PM ET

📌 Learn more:
https://us.constitutingamerica.org/ConstitutionDayLiveStream

America250 Freedom 250

Sources: Library of Congress (first printing of "Defence of Fort M'Henry"), National Park Service — Fort McHenry, Gilder Lehrman Institute, American Battlefield Trust, Britannica.

09/09/2026

September 9, 1776 — Congress Officially Adopts the Name “United States of America”

Two hundred and fifty years ago today, the Continental Congress took a quiet but historic step by officially changing the nation’s name.

In a simple resolution, Congress ordered that wherever the words “United Colonies” had previously appeared in commissions and official documents, they would henceforth read “United States.”

The change reflected the new political reality created by the Declaration of Independence. The former colonies no longer regarded themselves as dependencies of the British Empire. They were independent states united in a common cause.

The idea of such a union had deep roots. In 1754, Benjamin Franklin urged colonial unity in his famous “Join, or Die” cartoon. Richard Henry Lee’s resolution for independence declared that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.” Thomas Jefferson used the phrase “United States of America” in his first draft of the Declaration of Independence, and the name also appeared in the first draft of the Articles of Confederation.

Now Congress made that name official.

The timing was especially meaningful. Only weeks after declaring independence, the Continental Army had suffered a major defeat on Long Island, and General George Washington had warned Congress that the war could not be won with short-term militia alone. At the same time, Congress was preparing to send Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge to meet Admiral Lord Richard Howe. The British peace commissioners still regarded America as rebellious colonies seeking reconciliation, while Congress would send its delegates as representatives of an independent nation.

As the war, diplomacy, and the work of nation-building all unfolded at once, Congress affirmed in law what it had already declared in principle.

From that day forward, the nation would officially be known as the United States of America.

And that’s the way it was, September 9, 1776.

09/02/2026

Attending District meeting. Caroline and new Chapter member, Priscilla, at DAR District meeting on 8.27.26

09/01/2026

DAR District meeting. Daughters Lisa and Caroline received certificates from National, for helping SAR prospective members with their genealogy for joining SAR.

08/30/2026

MW Distict Meeting

08/29/2026

A group of Daughters joined Daughter/SJSD History Teacher Brooke Rich at the St Joseph Museum this morning for our 5th Saturday social to see the new exhibit created by a group of Lafayette High School students about the Jewish community in St Joseph. Patriotism..Education..Historic Preservation.

08/23/2026

National Park Week is underway!

Not sure what kind of park trip you’re looking for? We have options.

🌲 Explore nature: Watch bison in Yellowstone (From a safe distance. We’ve been over this.), hike among the giant trees in Sequoia, or hit the trails of Great Smoky Mountains.

🏛️ Explore history: Walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, explore the revolutionary history of Independence Hall, or learn about the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham.

🌊 Explore something unexpected: Paddle the waters of Everglades, explore the underground in Mammoth Cave, or take in the rocky coastline of Acadia.

With more than 400 national parks across the country, there’s something for just about everyone, and probably a park, story, landscape, or experience you haven’t discovered yet.

Pack some snacks, check the weather, make a plan, and go explore your national parks.