Abraham Lincoln

1934 1¢ National Parks: Yosemite, California
June 30, 1864

Yosemite Land Grant 

On June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Land Grant. This made Yosemite Valley the first piece of land set aside by the US government for preservation and public use.

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 US #138 – An 1871 National Bank Note Printing with the H Grill.
December 19, 1814

Birth of Edwin Stanton

Edwin McMasters Stanton was born on December 19, 1814, Steubenville, Ohio.

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 US #3546 was the first US Thanksgiving stamp.
December 18, 1777

First National Thanksgiving

On December 18, 1777, the United States celebrated its first national Thanksgiving.  The celebration was in reaction to the recent victory at the Battle of Saratoga.

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 US #R1 – A 1¢ Express Revenue stamp.
July 1, 1862

The Revenue Act of 1862

On July 1, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Revenue Act of 1862 into law, to help fund the Civil War.

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 US #1198 pictures a “soddy” – the first home most homesteaders built.
May 20, 1862

The Homestead Act

On May 20, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law.

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1950 3¢ Statue of Freedom stamp
December 2, 1863

Statue of Freedom Completed 

On December 2, 1863, the Statue of Freedom was placed atop the US Capitol to a 35-gun salute.

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 US #3546 from the Holiday Celebrations Series.  Click the image to order.
November 26, 1789 and 1863

Washington & Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Celebrations

On November 26, 1789, the nation celebrated Thanksgiving for the first time under a presidential proclamation.  Decades later, President Lincoln issued a similar proclamation that made the holiday permanent.

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 US #77 was based on a photo of Lincoln taken in 1861.
April 14, 1866

First U.S. Mourning Stamp

April 14, 1866 was the earliest known usage of the first US mourning stamp, which honored Abraham Lincoln.

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 US #906 was issued on this day in 1942.
July 7, 1942

China Resistance Stamp

On July 7, 1942, the US issued its first stamp with foreign characters as part of the design. US #906 was issued to commemorate the fifth anniversary of China’s resistance against the Japanese Empire in the early days of World War II. The 5¢ denomination would have paid for a first-class letter to China.

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