The Fourth of July is when Americans celebrate the United States breaking its colonial bonds with England to establish the first phase of an experiment … one that was riddled with flaws.
Democracy was marred by the perpetuation of slavery, from when it was introduced to the colonies until it was abolished in 1865. Last year the USPS issued a series of stamps that boldly commemorates the Underground Railroad and the heroes who sought to abolish slavery. The pane of 20 stamps features 10 sepia-toned portraits of men and women who escaped slavery and/or helped others escape: Catharine Coffin, Frederick Douglass, Thomas Garrett, Laura Haviland, Lewis Hayden, Harriet Jacobs, William Lambert, Jermain Loguen, William Still and Harriet Tubman. Below each portrait are eight lines of bold gothic justified text: BLACK/WHITE; COOPERATION; TRUST/DANGER; FLIGHT/FAITH; COURAGE/RISK; DEFIANCE/HOPE; UNDERGROUND RAILROAD/USA.
Designed by Antonio Alcalá, art director for USPS, the sheet or pane’s verso is a map showing the general routes freedom seekers followed and a list of individuals pictured on the stamps with biographical information about each.
The USPS has done an important job of teaching American history to the public through these miniature “posters.” This latest is among the most significant of them all.