New U.S. stamp celebrates 250th anniversary of the First Continental Congress of 1774

By Charles Snee

On Sept. 5, 1774, representatives from 12 of the 13 American colonies gathered for the First Continental Congress at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, Pa.

Exactly 250 years later, on Sept. 5, 2024, the United States Postal Service will commemorate that historic gathering at the beginning of the American Revolution with a nondenominated (73¢) forever stamp.

Fittingly, the first-day ceremony for the new First Continental Congress, 1774, stamp will take place at 11 a.m. Eastern Time at Carpenters’ Hall, 320 Chestnut St., in Philadelphia.

Two officials will dedicate the stamp during the ceremony: Roman Martinez IV, chairman of the of the Postal Service’s board of governors, and Michael Norris, executive director of Carpenters’ Hall.

Collectors who wish to attend the ceremony are encouraged to register online with the USPS.

Each person who registers to attend the ceremony may invite up to four additional guests, the USPS said.

The vertical commemorative features the signature red, white and blue colors of the U.S. flag.

The stars in the red stripe at left are symbolic of the 12 colonies represented in the First Continental Congress. Georgia did not send any delegates to the congress.

“12 COLONIES UNITE IN PROTEST” is at the top of the wide blue stripe. In the center is the famous declaration of the congress to England’s King George III: “We ask but for Peace, Liberty and Safety.” Below that bold statement is “FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, 1774,” followed by “FOREVER/USA.”

According to production details published in the July 25 Postal Bulletin, Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. of Williamsville, N.Y., printed a total of 18 million First Continental Congress, 1774, stamps that were finished into panes of 20 for sale at post offices and other outlets authorized to sell postage stamps.

Die-cut and imperforate uncut press sheets of six panes of 20 will be available for purchase through the Stamp Fulfillment Services mail-order center in Kansas City, Mo. Both varieties will sell for $87.60, the face value of the 120 stamps (six panes of 20) in each sheet.

“The formation of the First Continental Congress was one of the first indications that a new government — and ultimately, a new nation — was emerging,” the USPS said in a media advisory published Aug. 5. “Participation in the compact by the Colonies laid the groundwork for what would become democracy as we know it.”

“The new Forever stamp will honor the 56 delegates from 12 Colonies who joined together to advocate for equality, eventually earning our nation’s independence,” the Postal Service said.

A succinct overview of the First Continental Congress (and its successor, the Second Continental Congress) is available on the History.com website.

“The Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies, and later the United States, from 1774 to 1789,” according to History.com. “The First Continental Congress, comprised of delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in reaction to the Intolerable Acts, a series of measures imposed by the British government after the colonies resisted new taxes.

“In 1775, the Second Continental Congress convened after the Revolutionary War had already begun. In 1776, it took the momentous step of declaring America’s independence from Britain. Five years later, the Congress ratified the first national constitution, the Articles of Confederation, under which the country would be governed until 1789, when it was replaced by the U.S. Constitution.”

Some of the most prominent political figures of the American Revolution served in the Continental Congress. Among those luminaries were Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Patrick Henry and George Washington, History.com said.

Postal Service art director Antonio Alcala of Alexandria, Va., who served as designer and typographer for the First Continental Congress, 1774, commemorative stamp, shared some of his observations with Linn’s Stamp News.

Alcala discussed the historical sources that were consulted during the design process.

“The stamps USPS previously printed commemorating the event, online accounts of the meeting, and the text of the original letter were all consulted,” Alcala said. “From the historical background, I learned …

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