The origins of the AFA go back to November 17, 1886, when a congress of sixteen fraternal orders representing 535,000 members met in Washington, DC. The original meeting was called by the
Ancient Order of United Workmen, the pioneer fraternal insurance society, to establish uniform insurance legislation in all states. The 1913 meeting in Chicago resulted in the formation of a permanent organization, the
National Fraternal Congress (
NFC). It was created "as a protest against the workings" of the NFC. The two groups re-merged in 1913 as the National Fraternal Congress
of America. It became the American Fraternal Alliance in 2011. == Publications ==