America 250: US Postal Service releases 'Figures of the American Revolution' forever stamps

The stamps feature 25 individual portraits honoring some of the people whose actions helped shape the American Revolution and establish the independence of the United States. (USPS)

Last July, the United States Postal Service (USPS) started a yearlong celebration to honor 250 years of serving the American public and America’s independence. As part of the celebration, USPS has released "Figures of the American Revolution" forever stamps. 

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Big picture view:

The stamps feature 25 individual portraits honoring some of the people whose actions helped shape the American Revolution and establish the independence of the United States.

Abigail Adams
Advocate for American independence and women’s rights.

John Adams
Delegate to the Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and second President of the United States.
 
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Oneida leader called "Good Peter", who supported American forces and worked for the future of his people.

James Armistead
Enslaved African American who gathered intelligence for the Continental Army

Cornplanter
Seneca war chief and peace negotiator between native nations and the U.S. after the Revolution.

John Dickinson
"Penman of the Revolution," whose writings articulated America’s revolutionary ideals. 

Benjamin Franklin
Signer of the Declaration of Independence, first U.S. postmaster general, and president of the nation’s oldest abolition society.

Elizabeth Freeman
Known as Mumbet, she used the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution to help secure the abolition of slavery in the state.

Bernardo de Gálvez
Governor of Spanish Louisiana who aided patriots and drove the British from west Florida.

Nathanael Greene
Quaker and skillful general whose tactics turned the tide of the war by ending British occupation of the South.

Alexander Hamilton
Chief aide to George Washington, advocate for the Constitution, and founder of the U.S. financial system.

Lemuel Haynes
Military veteran and ordained minister who condemned African American enslavement. 

Patrick Henry
Orator whose passionate speeches rallied the patriots against British rule.

John Jay
Skilled diplomat who helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris, securing U.S. independence. 

Thomas Jefferson
Principal author of the Declaration of Independence, first U.S. Secretary of State, and the nation’s third president.

Thaddeus Kosciuszko
Polish military engineer whose fortifications helped win the Battles of Saratoga. 

Marquis de Lafayette
French general who played a key role in the Continental Army’s victory at Yorktown 

James Madison
Key architect of the Constitution, co-author of The Federalist, and fourth U.S. president.

Thomas Paine
Author of the influential pamphlet Common Sense, which helped convince the colonists to break with Britain.

Esther De Berdt Reed
Author of "The Sentiments of an American Women," which helped raise funds for the Continental Army.

Paul Revere
Silversmith and artisan who famously warned of the British advance on Lexington and Concord.

Deborah Sampson
Disguised as a man to serve in the Continental Army and one of the first American women to earn a military pension.

Baron von Steuben
Prussian military officer who helped professionalize and transform the Continental Army into a formidable force.

Mercy Otis Warren
Poet, playwright, and historian whose works chronicled the Revolution.

George Washington
Commander in chief of the Continental Army and first U.S. president.

What they're saying:

"These stamps encourage viewers to see the Revolution as a broad coalition of people committed to the idea of freedom — ‘Give me liberty or give me death!," said Daniel Piazza, chief curator of philately at the National Postal Museum.

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Dig deeper:

USPS says each portrait was created especially for the Postal Service by one of 12 artists: Julia Bottoms, Kam Mak, Tim O'Brien, Alex Bostic, Gary Kelley, Michael J. Deas, Karla Ortiz, Roberto Parada, Dale Stephanos, Marc Burckhardt, Sharon Irla and Julia Kolesova.

Figures of the American Revolution Forever stamps are available at Post Office locations nationwide and on usps.com.

The Source: Information in this article was provided by the  United States Postal Service (USPS).  This story was reported from Orlando.


 

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