“Without the character of Samuel Adams, the true history of the American Revolution can never be written,” John Adams once said of his cousin.

Well, someone better tell the United States Postal Service!

On April 10, the USPS issued a new set of stamps, “Figures of the American Revolution,” as part of its ongoing initiative to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. (See the USPS’s full press release below.) The set features 25 of the most important people related to the American Founding.

Sam Adams, apparently, isn’t one of them.

Never mind Sam’s instrumental role as an organizer in Boston’s Sons of Liberty or his role in managing public opinion. Never mind the Committees of Correspondence he helped organize throughout Massachusetts and across the colonies. Never mind his masterful use of propaganda to implant events like the Boston Massacre or the Boston Tea Party in American imagination—let alone the effective use of those events as tools of protest. Never mind the central leadership role he played at the First Continental Congress. Never mind Boston’s centrality in the start of open hostilities with Great Britain.  

And yet, somehow, Sam didn’t leave enough of a stamp on the American Revolution!

In fairness to the Postal Service, a collection like the Figures of the American Revolution is like a retrospective “greatest hits” collection from a band: decisions have to be made about what gets included and what gets left off.

So, if you were to add Sam Adams to the collection, who’s currently on the sheet that you would remove to make room for him?

The figures appear in alphabetical order. Here’s the full list:

• Abigail Adams
• John Adams
• Agwalongdongwas
• James Armistead
• Cornplanter
• John Dickinson
• Benjamin Franklin
• Elizabeth Freeman
• Bernardo de Gálvez
• Nathanael Greene
• Alexander Hamilton
• Lemuel Haynes
• Patrick Henry
• John Jay
• Thomas Jefferson
• Thaddeus Kosciuszko
• Marquis de Lafayette
• James Madison
• Thomas Paine
• Esther De Berdt Reed
• Paul Revere
• Deborah Sampson
• Baron von Steuben
• Mercy Otis Warren
• George Washington

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Here’s the USPS’s press release:

In recognition of the nation’s 250th anniversary, the U.S. Postal Service today released Figures of the American Revolution Forever stamps. The commemorative stamps feature 25 individual portraits honoring some of the people whose actions helped shape the American Revolution and establish U.S. independence.

Beginning in July 2025, the Postal Service embarked on a yearlong celebration of 250 years of serving the American public and America’s independence. This pane of stamps is one of the many USPS programs and events occurring during the semiquincentennial.

The stamps are on display in an interactive exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum through April 13 and will be part of a secondary special dedication in late May at the Boston World Stamp Show.

“Celebrating 250 years is a once in a lifetime event,” said Steve Monteith, the Postal Service’s chief customer and marketing officer. “The freedom of our country was made possible by thousands of brave men and women. To be able to recognize even a small fraction of them through the images on these stamps is an honor.”

“As a fitting tribute to America on its 250th birthday, 12 accomplished artists participated in this collaborative visual project to create new, modern portraits of the nation’s founders,” said Daniel Piazza, chief curator of philately at the National Postal Museum. “These stamps encourage viewers to see the Revolution as a broad coalition of people committed to the idea of freedom.”

‘Give me liberty or give me death!’

Prior to the start of the Revolutionary War, there was growing resistance to British imperial rule and taxation, without Colonial representation, throughout the 13 Colonies. Defiance of the British came from all socioeconomic levels: writers and activists; women and men (both enslaved and free); Native Americans; and lawyers and legislators. France and Spain also provided crucial international support. Their alliance added legitimacy to the fight, showed the rest of the world the struggle for independence was serious, and strengthened the Colonies’ military position. The American Revolution lasted nearly a decade and reshaped the young nation and global politics.

Artwork

The pane of Forever stamps includes portraits of 25 individuals arranged in five rows of five. Beneath each portrait, the person’s name and a short identifying line are printed in black. Along the bottom of each stamp, the words “USA” and “Forever” appear in gray. Each portrait draws on a historical image of the person depicted in the artwork.

Some figures gaze out at the viewer, while others glance toward their neighbors on the pane or look beyond, as if to the future. A single image of the American flag is layered behind the portraits. The flag is screened so its stars and stripes appear softly faded, providing a unifying backdrop for the 25 faces while keeping the portraits visually dominant.

The block of stamps is set on a larger background that features an image of the Declaration of Independence, adding another layer of historical context to the pane. While at the very top of the pane, a line of text reads, “Forging America’s bold new beginning through courage, leadership, and sacrifice.”

The first row features Abigail Adams, John Adams, Agwalongdongwas, James Armistead and Cornplanter.

Second row images include John Dickinson, Benjamin Franklin, Elizabeth Freeman, Bernardo de Gálvez and Nathanael Greene.

The third row depicts Alexander Hamilton, Lemuel Haynes, Patrick Henry, John Jay and Thomas Jefferson.

The fourth row shows Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Marquis de Lafayette, James Madison, Thomas Paine and Esther De Berdt Reed.

Appearing in the fifth and final row are Paul Revere, Deborah Sampson, Baron von Steuben, Mercy Otis Warren and George Washington.

Each portrait was created especially for the Postal Service by one of 12 artists: Julia Bottoms, Kam Mak, Tim O’Brien, Alex Bostic, Gary Kelley, Michael J. Deas, Karla Ortiz, Roberto Parada, Dale Stephanos, Marc Burckhardt, Sharon Irla and Julia Kolesova.

The artists’ varied approaches reflect the individuality of the subjects. Some worked in traditional oil paints or egg tempera, others in pastels or digital media, resulting in a collection that balances historical likenesses with fresh, contemporary interpretations.

Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, is the stamp designer. She was at the release event along with some of the stamp artists for a meet and greet and to sign autographs.

Figures of the American Revolution are being issued as Forever stamps in a pane of 25. Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

For more information about the individuals represented in the portraits please visit https://www.stampsforever.com/stamps/figures-of-the-american-revolution.