In 1939 Frances Parkinson Keyes, a lifelong member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the editor of their national magazine, quit.

The apocryphal tale of her departure is that she resigned in protest over the racist policies of the DAR, who refused to let Marian Anderson sing at Constitution Hall. What has never been discussed is her actual role within the organization, as editor of the magazine and lifelong member there are a number of circumstances that could collide to cause her to leave.

This website intends to explore Frances’s role as editor and her sudden resignation from the DAR, and hopefully understand the reasoning behind her quitting- as well as look at her beginnings in the magazine industry, the history of the DAR and its monthly magazine, and what Frances did to bring the magazine into the 20th Century and make it a nationally recognized publication.

What would cause her to leave a magazine and an organization that she had given so much to? Was it personal problems? Financial disagreements? Or did the Marian Anderson incident prove to be too great an issue for Frances to bear? Let’s find out!