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Great Americans series facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Alice Paul stamp
This 78¢ Alice Paul stamp was part of the Great Americans series.

The Great Americans series was a special collection of definitive stamps (these are like regular stamps you use for everyday mail) released by the United States Postal Service. This series started on December 27, 1980, with a 19-cent stamp showing Sequoyah. It continued until 1999, ending with a 55-cent stamp of Justin S. Morrill.

Many stamp collectors really liked this series because of its simple and elegant look. After almost 20 years, the Great Americans series was replaced by the Distinguished Americans series, which began in the year 2000.

What Made These Stamps Special?

The stamps in the Great Americans series had a very simple design. Each stamp usually showed:

  • A picture of the person.
  • Their name.
  • Sometimes, what they were famous for.
  • The words "USA".
  • The stamp's value (like 19¢ or 55¢).

All these details were printed in a single color on a white background. This simple style was similar to earlier stamp collections.

Honoring Diverse Americans

What made the Great Americans series stand out was the wide variety of people it featured. Unlike older stamp series that mostly showed political leaders, this collection celebrated well-known individuals from many different fields and backgrounds.

More Women and Native Americans

This series was especially important because it showed many more women than previous stamp collections. A total of fifteen women appeared on these stamps, which was a big change! For example, earlier series from 1902 or 1954 only featured one woman.

It was also the first time that a regular stamp series honored notable Native Americans. Four different Native American leaders were featured:

Even though an older series from 1922 had a stamp with an "American Indian," it didn't name the person. The Great Americans series proudly named each individual.

Presidents and Other Figures

Interestingly, only two presidents were part of this series:

While many different people were honored, the series only included one African American person: Ralph Bunche, who appeared on the 20-cent stamp.

List of Great Americans Stamps

Here is a list of the stamps from the Great Americans series, organized by their value:

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