Territories of the United States on stamps: Difference between revisions

{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}

{{Use dmy dates|date = March 2019}}

'''Territories of the United States on stamps''' discusses commemorative postal issues devoted to lands that have been ceded to the nation or purchased by treaty in conjunction with both war and peace. Thirteen states have been created from colonial territories, two from independent republics, four from previous states in the Union, and an additional thirty-one from United States territories.

 

 

==National boundaries==

 

===Treaty of Paris===

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The U.S. Postal Department issued four 3-cent stamps commemorating Insular Territories: Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands over the three months of October to December 1937. The first was to honor the Territory of Hawaii acquired in 1898. It showed the statue of King [[Kamehameha I]], unifier of the Hawaiian Islands, at the Iolani Palace in Honolulu. The second honored Alaska which was purchased in 1867. The stamp pictured snow-covered [[Mount McKinley]] with a farm and a village to symbolize modern development in the territory.<ref>Trotter, Gordon. [http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&img=&mode=1&pg=1&tid=2033209 3-cent Hawaii Issue], "3-cent Alaska Issue". Arago: people, postage & the post. National Postal Museum. Viewed March 4, 2014.</ref> Alaska and Hawaii territories were admitted as states in 1959.

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In the "Flags of our nation series" 2008–2012, five territorial flags were featured. The 42-cent denominations were the American Samoa Flag showing island peaks and trees, issued June 14, 2008, and the Guam Flag was illustrated with fish and tropicbird, issued September 2, 2008. Forever stamps included Northern Marianas Flag picturing a palm tree issued 2011, Puerto Rico Flag illustrated by a bird issued 2011, and Virgin Islands Flag showing a sailfish issued 2012.<ref>"[http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=2&cmd=1&fid=2052285&fid=2052292&fid=2052295&fid=2052322&fid=2052327&fid=2052335&id=219066&img=1&pg=1 Flags of our nation series 2008–2012]", Arago: people, postage & the post, National Postal Museum. Viewed March 7, 2014.</ref> Images of each flag can be seen at Arago online, National Postal Museum at the Smithsonian Institution on the following links: [http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=2&cmd=1&id=219066 American Samoa Flag], [http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=2&cmd=1&id=219076 Guam Flag], [http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=2&cmd=1&id=250406&pg=1&mode=1&tid=2052281 Northern Marianas Flag stamp], [http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=2&cmd=1&id=250430 Puerto Rico Flag], [http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=2&cmd=1&id=251593 U.S. Virgin Islands Flag].

 

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East of the Mississippi River.

Founding of the [[Jamestown Settlement]] by the Virginia Company was commemorated on the 300th anniversary by 2-cent stamp in late 1907. It was the first permanent British colony in America following the 1587 failure of the Roanoke NC settlement.<ref>Haimann, Alexander T., "2-cent Founding of Jamestown", Arago: people, postage & the post, National Postal Museum online, viewed March 12, 2014.</ref>

 

The 2-cent "Walloons landing at Fort Orange" [[New Netherland]] was issued on May 1, 1924, to commemorated the 300th anniversary of settlement in New York. Walloons from the south of Belgium had been persecuted for their Protestant beliefs.<ref>Brody, Roger S., "Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary Issue", Arago: people, postage & the post, National Postal Museum online, viewed March 13, 2014.</ref>

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The settlement of [[Annapolis, Maryland]] was commemorated with a 3-cent stamp issued March 23, 1949 on its 300th anniversary. It shows a map of the Annapolis area showing the water route from the Chesapeake Bay to the Severn River with the masted ship and long boat carrying Puritans ashore to the original settlement and natural resources.<ref>"Annapolis Tercentenary Issue", Arago: people, postage & the post, National Postal Museum online, viewed March 14, 2014.</ref>

 

 

[[Charleston, South Carolina|Charlestown]] (Charleston) South Carolina settlement was commemorated on its 300th anniversary with a 6-cent stamp, on September 12, 1970. The city was named after King Charles II of England, as the first colonial city in South Carolina.<ref>"South Carolina Issue", Arago: people, postage & the post, National Postal Museum online, viewed March 17, 2014.</ref>

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The 3-cent [[Indiana Territory]] sesquicentennial commemorative postage stamp was issued on July 4, 1950. It features a portrait of William Henry Harrison, the first governor of Indiana Territory and later the 9th President of the US. Indiana's first Capitol building is pictured to the right.<ref>Lovell, Jeffrie. "Indiana Territory Issue", Arago: people, postage & the post. National Postal Museum. Online, viewed March 12, 2014.</ref>

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==Statehood==

 

 

Images are not available from USPS stamps since 1978. Click on the appropriate links for an image held at the Smithsonian Institution's online "Arago: people, postage & the post", National Postal Museum.

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===Eastern states from territories===

 

 

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<ref>"150th Anniversary Alabama Statehood Issue", Arago: people, postage & the post online, National Postal Museum, viewed April 13, 2014.</ref>

 

 

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Wisconsin's statehood 100th anniversary was commemorated by a 3-cent stamp on May 29, 1948. The foreground features a scroll with a map outline of the state, the background design shows the State Capitol. The population of 150,000 exceeded the minimum of 60,000 required by the Ordinance of 1787 for the Northwest Territory.<ref>"100th Anniversary of Wisconsin Statehood Issue", Arago: people, postage & the post online. National Postal Museum, viewed April 9, 2014.</ref>

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Iowa statehood's 100th anniversary was commemorated by a 3-cent stamp on August 3, 1946. The stamp shows the Iowa state flag superimposed on an outline map of the state, and stalks of corn flank the design.<ref>Trotter, Gordan. "100th Anniversary of Iowa Statehood Issue" at Arago: people, postage & the post online, National Postal Museum. Viewed April 9, 2014.</ref>

 

 

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Oregon's statehood was commemorated with a 4-cent stamp on February 14, 1959. The central design is an unhorsed covered wagon, with Mount Hood in the right background, sloping westward to the Pacific Ocean. A star on the left symbolizes statehood.<ref>"100th Anniversary Oregon Statehood", Arago: people, postage & the post online, National Postal Museum, viewed April 13, 2014.</ref>

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[[Christopher Columbus]] was honored in the first U.S. commemorative stamps in the [[Columbian Issue|Columbian Exposition issue]] of 1893. On his return to Spain, Columbus reported his discoveries to the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, who made the Americas widely known in Europe.<ref>Haimann, Alexander T., "15-cent Columbus Announcing His Discovery", Arago: people, postage & the post, National Postal Museum online, viewed March 16, 2014.</ref>

 

 

[[Vasco Núñez de Balboa]], the Spanish explorer of the Panama Canal region, is honored in the Panama-Pacific Exposition issue. Balboa called the western ocean 'Mar del Sur'. The 1-cent stamp paid the post card rate. Patrons also commonly combined it with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. Over 330 million 1-cent stamps were printed.<ref>Haimann, Alexander T., "1-cent Balboa", Arago: people, postage & the post, National Postal Museum online. Viewed March 26, 2014.</ref>

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[[Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac]] was honored with a 3-cent stamp on July 24, 1951, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of his landing at Detroit in 1701. Cadillac founded the city of Detroit. The stamp's background design depicts Detroit's skyline as it appeared in 1951 and the foreground shows Cadillac's landing at Detroit in 1701. His namesake is the Cadillac motor vehicle company.<ref>Lovell, Jeffrie H.,"Landing of Cadillac Issue", Arago: people, postage & the post, National Postal Museum. Viewed March 22, 2014.</ref>

 

 

Explorer [[Jean Nicolet]]'s landing at Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1634 was celebrated on its 300th anniversary by a violet 3-cent stamp issued on July 7, 1934. The vignette is taken from a painting by Edward W. Deming depicting Nicolet's landing at Green Bay, with numerous Indians present.<ref>Trotter, Gordon T.,"Wisconsin Tercentenary Issue", Arago: people, postage & the post, National Postal Museum. Viewed March 22, 2014.</ref>

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== Bibliography ==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130921135453/http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=8&cmd=1 Arago: people, postage & the post], Philately, National Postal Museum online.

* Scott 2013 Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers. 2012. {{ISBN|0-89487-475-6}},

* Woods, Randall Bennett, and Wilard B. Gatewood "The American Experience: A Concise History", Prentice Hall, publishers. {{ISBN|978-0-534-16955-8}}

;Postal

 

{{Postage stamps of the United States}}

 

[[Category:Postage stamps of the United States]]

[[Category:Topical postage stamps]]