Great Britain, in 1763, temporarily gained control of Florida as a result of the Anglo-Spanish War - a part of the French and Indian War. Even though Britain occupied the territory, it did not develop it further. Undaunted, sparsely populated British Florida stayed loyal to the Crown during the American Revolutionary War, but with the British loss, the territory was returned to Spain in 1783, according to the terms of the Treaty of Paris which ended the war.

When the Revolutionary War ended with the British defeat, most of the loyalists left the new country of the United States for either Britain or the West Indies. In 1783, near the end of the war, Spain captured and occupied St. Augustine and at the close of the war it was ceded to Spain by the terms of the peace treaty: Florida ceased to be a British colony. This was a sad day for Loyalists because similar to the American Patriots, they considered the land as their home since they were born there.

After a brief, diplomatic border dispute with the fledgling United States, the surrounding political interests recognized a territorial border that allowed Americans free navigation of the Mississippi River. This was effected by the terms of Pinckney's Treaty in 1795.

In 1876, there were many celebrations to commemorate the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As part of this patriotic fervor, a group of men in the San Francisco, California, area who were descendants of patriots involved in the American Revolution, formed an organization called the Sons of Revolutionary Sires. Their objective was to have a fraternal and civic society to salute those men and women who pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the battle for independence from Great Britain. The Sons of Revolutionary Sires desired to keep alive their ancestors’ story of patriotism and courage in the belief that it is a universal one of man’s struggle against tyranny - a story which would inspire and sustain succeeding generations when they would have to defend and extend our freedoms.  

Out of the Sons of Revolutionary Sires grew the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, which was organized on April 30, 1889, the one hundredth anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington as our nation’s first president. We have used the acronym SAR to identify ourselves for over one hundred years. The SAR was conceived as a fraternal and civic society composed of lineal descendants of the patriots who wintered at Valley Forge, signed the Declaration of Independence, fought in the battles of the American Revolution, served in the Continental Congress, or otherwise supported the cause of American Independence. The National Society was chartered by an Act of the United States Congress on June 9, 1906. The charter was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt, who was also a member of the Empire State Society, SAR. The charter authorizes the granting of charters to societies of the various states and territories and authorizes the state-level societies to charter chapters within their borders. Federal legislation then established a federal charter for the National Society, SAR.

With the exception of the Society of the Cincinnati, founded at the conclusion of the war in 1783, this was the first Society in the country whose members were exclusively descendants from Revolutionary Sires. This California Society was the pioneer of the modern hereditary, patriotic society, and its influence led to the formation of many others throughout the United States.

In accordance with a resolution passed at a meeting of the Jersey Society on April 10, 1889 a call was issued inviting delegatges from every existing society from all states and territories to meet at Fraunce's Tavern in Newe York on April 30, 1889 to organize a National Society. Eighteen out of the twenty societies, including the original one in California were represented, and on that date the National Society of Sons of the American Revolution was organized.

The Miami Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution was formed March 28, 1893 and was the first Sons of the American Revolution Chapter in the state of Florida.