The Underground Railroad 2024 Stamps

Description

2024 Underground Railroad(Imperforate)
• Honors the countless people who made their way to freedom or helped others reach freedom through the Underground Railroad
• Pictures 10 individuals associated with the Underground Railroad

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Value: 68¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: March 9, 2024
First Day City: Church Creek, Maryland
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 20
Watermark: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag Applied

History the stamps represent: The Underground Railroad was a secret highway that ferried Black Americans to freedom before and during the Civil War. According to John Rankin, the network was named “because they who took passage on it disappeared from public view really as if they had gone into the ground.”

Those who worked on the Underground Railroad played several roles. “Conductors” were responsible for leading escaped slaves to “stations” which consisted of safe houses owned by free Black Americans or White abolitionists (often Quakers). These “station masters” risked it all to help former slaves find their freedom, as, in many cases, the law required fugitives be returned to their enslavers. Station masters used their own money to provide food, clothing, and even medicine to their “passengers.” Some churches and other groups donated money and supplies, too.

Due to the nature of its work, the Underground Railroad did not have any maps or printed guidelines advertising it. It was all dependent on word of mouth and trusting that each person who knew about it would keep its workings a secret. Codes were also established to help relay information in a safer way.