Four Freedoms Commemorative Stamp Issue of 1943

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Cat. # 908 Four Freedoms Commemorative Stamp Issue of 1943
Design # A367
Perf 11 x 10 1/2
Denomination: 1c
Color: Bright blue green
First Day of Issue: Feb. 12, 1943
Stamp Value:
Single:
MNH - .25c
Used - .15c
PB#4 - .30c

First Day Cities: Washington DC
Quantity Issued: Stamps 1,227,334,200 FDC's ( 193,800 )
Steel engraved Die

Purpose: This postage stamp was issued to impress upon the public the necessity of carring the Four Freedoms - Freedom of Speech, freedon of Religion, Freedom from Want, and from Fear - to all the nations of the world. The stamp took it's topic from Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 Annual Message to the Congress in which he recommended the Lend-Lease program for the allied nations.

FDC Prices: [ ] ? single [ ] pair
[ ] 6.75 block of 4 [ ] 13.50 Plate Block of 4
Stamp Size: 0.75 inches x 0.85 inches
Designed by Paul Manship
Bureau Precancels: #20 diff

Design: Liberty Holding the Torch of Freedom and Enlightenment
Text: "Freedom of Speech and Religion, From Want and Fear"
Rotary Press Printing E.E. Plates of 400 subjects in four panes of 100
Plate numbers used =

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This postage stamp was issued by the USPS to impress upon the general public the need to carry the "Four Freedoms" -- freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom from want and from fear -- to all other nations of the world. The popular stamp was based on the theme of Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 Annual Message to the Congress. In the speech, he recommended the Lend-Lease program for the support of the allied nations.

"We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression--everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way-- everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want . . . everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear . . . anywhere in the world." --President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Message to Congress, January 6, 1941

At an important moment in time, when Western Europe was under Nazi domination, Roosevelt presented his vision in which America's lofty ideals of individual liberties should be extended all over the world. He was also alerting Congress and the nation to the eventual necessity of war. Roosevelt focused his message on the ideological meaning of the conflict. He tried to appealed to Americans` most deeply held beliefs about the nature of freedom.

Norman Rockwell created a series of paintings based on the "Four Freedoms" theme. The images were printed on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post, one of the nation`s most popular magazines. The paintings later became part of a huge U.S. war bond drive.

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http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/powers_of_persuasion/four_freedoms/four_freedoms.html

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