Illinois Statehood

World Stamp Today: 

MARCH 5, 2018

The Illinois Statehood stamp was released by the United States Postal Service on March 5, 2018. 

The stamp celebrates the 200th anniversary of Illinois statehood, and was designed by Illinois artist Michael Konetzka who also did the artwork. 

French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette were the first Europeans to visit Illinois in 1673. 

After the French and Indian War,  the region was ceded to Britain. During the end of the American Revolution, Illinois became a territory of the United States, and achieved statehood on December 3, 1818. 

The stamp features an outline of the state map with a series of yellow beams that are meant to look like rays of a rising sun. 

USPS tells the people “the yellows and blues symbolize the dawning of a new day as the state joins the Union. Stars, representing the first 20 states, grace the top of the stamp. The rising sun symbolizes the 21st star.” 

(Concept and research: Richard Allan Uy) All rights reserved