Historical figures in the American Revolution honored ahead of nation's 250th birthday

America's independence 250 years ago is being widely celebrated by the U.S. Postal Service. The newest stamps, under the title Figures of the American Revolution, were released Friday in ceremonies at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington. A pane of 25 nondenominated (78 cents) stamps feature images of well-known and lesser-known women and men whose actions help birth a new nation in 1776. The stamps are arranged in five rows of five stamps. The portraits were created by 12 different artists, some long affiliated with the USPS and others who worked with the agency's art department for the first time. Those depicted in alphabetical order from right to left in each row are Abigail Adams, John Adams, Oneida tribal leader Agwalondonwgas, James Armistead, Seneca chief and peace negotiator Cornplanter, John Dickinson, Benjamin Franklin, Elizabeth Freeman, Bernard de Gálvez, Nathaniel Greene, Alexander Hamilton, Lemuel Haynes, Patrick Henry, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Marquis de Lafayette, James Madison, Thomas Paine, Esther Deberdt Reed, Paul Revere, Deborah Sampson, Baron von Steuben, Mercy Otis Warren and George Washington. Each portrait is accompanied by a brief description of the individual's historical significance. Notably, the background of each portrait combines to portray the American flag. The Declaration of Independence is featured in the backdrop of the 25 stamps. The stamps are noted for their diversity, including women, Native Americans and freed slaves as well as the men we've long learned about in history lessons. Treasures of the Revolutionary Era is the theme of a set of 10 stamps that will be released during the May 23 opening ceremony for Boston 2026 World Stamp Expo, the 12th international philatelic exhibition of the United States. The stamps will be produced in two panes of 10 that will be included in the USPS calls a prestige booklet showcasing symbols and stories that helped shape the United States from the 1760s through the 1840s. The stamps depict a teapot, continental currency, a map of the Battle of Yorktown, the commander in chief flag, a spinning wheel, a badge of military merit, soldiers depicted in a watercolor painting, a belt marking the signing of the Wampum Treaty, and a signboard. Beyond the stamps the booklet will include images and explanatory text that place the objects in historical context. The final planned stamp for the nation's semiquincentennial is set for release July 4 in Philadelphia. The nondenominated issue commemorates the Declaration of Independence in an uninspiring albeit patriotic design that incorporates four quills in the colors of red, white and blue and additional artwork to depict the year 1776 against a dark blue background. This year's stamps are the most recent in a series related to the nation's founding. In 2024, a single stamp marked the First Continental Congress, which convened in Philadelphia from Sept. 5 to Oct. 26, 1774. Last year, a pane of 15 stamps highlighted five key battlefields of the American Revolution: Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Trenton, Saratoga and Yorktown. Those stamps showed battle scenes in watercolor paintings by artist Greg Harlin. The design of the pane finds the paintings spanning two se-tenant stamps while an adjacent stamp shows a photograph of a modern-day scene of each battlefield site. Also in 2025, a trio of stamps of similar design marked the 1775 establishment of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps by the Continental Congress. While the three branches were disbanded after the Revolutionary War, they were re-established within a few years when federal officials realized the importance of having a standing military. All of these stamps were not or will not be automatically distributed to post offices. If they are of interest and you are looking forward to celebrating America's 250th birthday via the mail, ask your local postmaster or station manage to order them and offer them to customers. It's the only way they will know that customers want to use colorful and meaningful commemorative stamps other than common flag, flower and cute animal adhesives that seem to predominate the offerings at local post offices. Dennis Sadowski can be reached at sadowski.dennis@gmail.com.