Patriotic Order Sons of America


The Patriotic Order Sons of America is an American patriotic fraternal organization that traces its origins to the anti-alien riots of the 1840s. Founded in 1847 in Philadelphia, the P.O.S. of A. once had "camps" in 20 states. At its peak, there were more than 600 camps nationwide. Today, the society maintains a presence only in Pennsylvania, where it has 14 camps. The national headquarters are in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

History

The society traces its history to an organization called the Junior Sons of America, which was established in Philadelphia on December 10, 1847 by Dr. Reynell Coates. This organization was for young men aged 16 to 21. According to Alan Axelrod, the society was affiliated with the Know-Nothing Party and disappeared when that US political party ceased to exist. It was resuscitated in 1868, under its present name.
Distinguishing features of the Order are its opposition to unrestricted immigration and its support of free public education.
The entry for the group in Alan Axelrod's The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders contains a number of factual errors, but it reads as follows:

Membership statistics, 1900

The P.O.S. of A. was organized under a National Camp, which had the power to issue charters to local camps, and also State Camps, which had a similar power. These are membership figures reported for 1900 to the 1901 meeting of the National Camp in Buffalo, New York.
State CampMembers
Pennsylvania62,317
New Jersey5,151
Maryland2,648
New York1,709
Illinois801
Ohio421
Indiana451
Connecticut701
Colorado311
Louisiana149
Com. General1,191

Platform of Principles, 1933

From its origin in 1847, the P.O.S. of A. has been distinguished by its wariness of unrestrained immigration and its support of free public education for all. These distinctive features can be seen in its "Platform of Principles" adopted in 1933. It is not clear if this platform remains in force today, but the text of the platform is taken from a 1946 P.O.S. of A. publication, which reads as follows:

Race and the P.S.O. of A.

Like many fraternal organizations of its time, the P.S.O. of A. was a "whites only" organization. The Order's constitution, as of 1934 and 1946, contained the following language:

Mission statement, circa 2019

The public website of the National Patriotic Order Sons of America contains the following mission statement: