United Daughters of the Conferacy: Formation and History

The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is the outgrowth of numerous ladies’ hospital associations, sewing societies and knitting circles that worked throughout the South during the American Civil War to supply the needs of the soldiers.

Formation of the UDC

The United Daughters of the Confederacy was formed in 1894 in Nashville, Tennessee. It brought together several smaller regional memorial and heritage groups—such as the Ladies’ Memorial Associations and the Daughters of the Confederacy—into a single national organization.

The founders were daughters, granddaughters, and female relatives of Confederate veterans. Their mission was to honor Confederate soldiers, preserve records and artifacts of the Confederacy, and support descendants of Confederate veterans through memorial and educational activities.

Mission and Activities

The Objects of the Society are Historical, Benevolent, Educational, Memorial and Patriotic and include the following goals:

To honor the memory of those who served and those who fell in the service of the Confederate States.
To protect, preserve and mark the places made historic by Confederate valor.
To collect and preserve the material for a truthful history of the War Between the States.
To record the part taken by Southern women in patient endurance of hardship and patriotic devotion during the struggle and in untiring efforts after the War during the reconstruction of the South.
To fulfill the sacred duty of benevolence toward the survivors and toward those dependent upon them.
To assist descendants of worthy Confederates in securing proper education.
To cherish the ties of friendship among the members of the Organization.

20th Century and Beyond

On the UDC website is a “Reaffirmation of the Objectives of the United Daughters of the Confederacy®” which reads:

WHEREAS, The United Daughters of the Confederacy is a tax-exempt, non-profit Organization whose objectives are Historical, Benevolent, Educational, Memorial and Patriotic; AND

WHEREAS, The United Daughters of the Confederacy® is an Organization dedicated to the purpose of honoring the memory of its Confederate ancestors; protecting, preserving and marking the places made historic by Confederate valor; collecting and preserving the material for a truthful history of the War Between the States; recording the participation of Southern women in their patient endurance of hardship and patriotic devotion during and after the War Between the States; fulfilling the sacred duty of benevolence toward the survivors and those dependent upon them; assisting descendants of worthy Confederates in securing a proper education; honoring the service of veterans from all wars as well as active duty military personnel and cherishing the ties of friendship among the members of the organization, AND

WHEREAS, The United Daughters of the Confederacy® is a patriotic Organization which honors and upholds the United States of America and respects its Flag, AND

WHEREAS, The United Daughters of the Confederacy® does not subscribe to policies of individuals, groups or organizations that do not honor and respect the United States of America and its Flag,

THEREFORE, BE IT KNOWN, that The United Daughters of the Confederacy® does not associate with or include in its official UDC functions and events, any individual, group or organization known as unpatriotic, militant, racist or subversive to the United States of America and its Flag, AND

BE IT FURTHER KNOWN, that The United Daughters of the Confederacy® will not associate with any individual, group or organization identified as being militant, unpatriotic, racist or subversive to the United States of America and its Flag.

Sources

United Daughters of the Confederacy – Official Website