Tag Archives: justice

Four Flags Now Available in ATM Booklet of 18 Stamps

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Beginning today, the popular Four Flags stamps are available as ATM booklets of 18 stamps. Each of the stamps in this quartet—which was first issued February 22, 2012—features a bright U.S. flag against a white background, accompanied by a single word: Freedom, Liberty, Equality, and Justice.

The black typeface recalls the look of Colonial-era printing and emphasizes the meaning these four terms held for the colonists who fought the American Revolution. Patriots and Founding Fathers often invoked these words as they struggled to envision a new, democratic nation and make their ideals for the new country a reality.

  • Liberty: “Give me liberty or give me death.” – Patrick Henry, 1775
  • Equality: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” – Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, 1776
  • Freedom: “Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.” – John Adams, 1777
  • Justice: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” – Constitution of the United States, 1787

Each envelope in this set features a different Four Flags (Forever®) stamp and an official First Day of Issue postmark (click for more information).

The current U.S. flag, which is depicted on these stamps, consists of 13 stripes and 50 stars. Congress passed legislation in 1818 stating that the number of stars on the flag should match the number of states in the Union. It also specified that new stars would be added to the flag on the first July 4th after a state’s admission. The current flag’s 50th star was added on July 4, 1960, after Hawai‘i became a state on August 21, 1959. The flag’s 13 stripes represent the 13 original states.

The Four Flags stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. (Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.)

If you wish to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail, purchase the new stamps and affix them to envelopes of your choice. Address the envelopes to yourself or others, and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:

Four Flags
Postmaster
1202 E First Street
Humble, TX  77338-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark.

A Global Celebration of Women

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Today is International Women’s Day, observed around the globe as a day on which the social, economic, political, and cultural achievements of women past and present are celebrated. Since the first International Women’s Day event held in 1911, the world has taken this opportunity once a year to champion the rights of women and marvel at how far we’ve come.

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day is Empower Rural Women—End Hunger and Poverty. Though great strides have been made in the name of women’s rights around the world, it’s important to remember the inequities that still exist.

In many countries, Women’s Day is a national holiday—men show their appreciation for their mothers, wives, sisters, and colleagues with flowers and gifts. The United Nations designated 1975 International Women’s Year as a way to unify the world’s efforts to advocate for women’s rights. It was during that year that March 8 was set as the official Women’s Day for all member states wishing to participate.

Today is about the celebration of women and the fight to insure safe, happy, rewarding futures for the next generations.

Long May She Wave: Patriotic Four Flags Stamps Available Today

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Today we continue our tradition of honoring the Stars and Stripes with the issuance of Four Flags. In this quartet of flag stamps, a single word appears on each individual stamp in large letters: Freedom, Liberty, Equality, and Justice.

The black typeface recalls the look of Colonial-era printing, and emphasizes the meaning these four terms held for the colonists who fought the American Revolution. Patriots and Founding Fathers often invoked these words as they struggled to envision a new, democratic nation and make their ideals for the new country a reality.

First Day of Sale Cover (click to order)

The current U.S. flag, which is depicted on the stamp, consists of 13 stripes and 50 stars. Congress passed legislation in 1818 stating that the number of stars on the flag should match the number of states in the Union. It also specified that new stars would be added to the flag on the first July 4th after a state’s admission. The current flag’s 50th star was added on July 4, 1960, after Hawai‘i became a state on August 21, 1959.

The flag’s 13 stripes represent the 13 original U.S. states. Red stripes adorn the top and bottom of the flag, resulting in a pattern of seven red stripes and six white ones.

First Day of Issue Cover (click to order)

One of the world’s most powerful and widely recognized symbols, the U.S. flag has long been a familiar sight on stamps. Previous issuances include the definitives Flag at Dusk, Flag at Night, Flag at Dawn, and Flag at Midday, all in 2008, and the five commemorative stamps in the Old Glory issuance of 2003. Old Glory depicted a wide variety of U.S. flags, including a flag that appeared on a silk bookmark in 1893 and a 19th-century carving of a woman holding a flag.

The Four Flags stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate. The stamps are available as books of 20 or rolls of 100, and beginning today they can be purchased in Post Offices or online.