First Amendment On Worldwide Stamps

This US 1957 Religious Freedom stamp commemorates the 300th anniversary of the Flushing Remonstrance.

the right to education

Here's one from France commemorating the centennial of legislation guaranteeing freedom of the press (and of bookselling).

Scan is of the stamp in my album, also giving numbers, etc.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (Croatia) issued a World Press Freedom Day stamp on May 3, 2006.

France Y&T 2598 (Sc. 2168c) issued in August 1989.
This is the third stamp in a souvenir mini-sheet issued for the bicentennial of the revolution and of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.

This particular stamp includes the text of articles X and XI declaring freedom of opinion, including religious opinion; and of speech, writing, and publication (the press).

My scan includes a bit of the margins of other attached stamps and the souvenir sheet selvage 'cause, well, context....




The text of the Declaration was also issued on sheet format stamps of lesser denomination with a somewhat similar, but still quite different, design which Scott however does not show. The apposite stamp is Y&T 2604 (Sc. 2166). Cropped this one closer.



edited Scott no.

Canada 375

Here's what I have to conrtibute. It think someone else already posted the far left stamp, but I didn't see the middle one mentioned anywhere. The one on the right might be more of a promotion of the importance of literacy, but I think there's fair argument to be made that literacy is important to understanding one's own 1a rights.

"Honor the four freedoms" overprint on stamps from the Polish Expeditionary Force in Italy
Text in english,polish and french (with a spelling mistake in "quatre")

I love all the suggestions here - must admit I was unaware of the four freedoms overprints - very special.

This Belgium 1972 Freedom of the Press stamp marks the 50th Anniversary of Belgian News Agency.

The rights of the First Amendment and the suggested by FDR, Four Freedoms, are not the same with the four freedoms an over reach and twisting of the First Amendment at the time FDR tried unsuccessfully [blocked by Congress] to get permission to pack [add more Justices until those he selected by ideology were in a majority on the SCOTUS] the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to allow FDR, through legal opinions, to alter the meaning of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.

The words of the First Amendment itself establish six rights:

(1) the right to be free from governmental establishment of religion(the"Establishment Clause"),
(2) the right to be free from governmental interference with the practice of religion(the"Free Exercise Clause"),
(3) the right to free speech,
(4) the right to freedom of the press,
(5) the right to assemble peacefully (which includes the right to associate freely with whomever one chooses), and
(6) the right to petition the government for redress of grievances


The four freedoms (two being summations of rights, two wishes for rights not provided):

1- Freedom of speech
2- Freedom of worship
3- Freedom from want
4- Freedom from fear

Additionally, the 1st Amendment applies within the boundaries of the USA and to US Citizens when outside the boundaries and subject to USA governmental action(s).

The Four Freedoms were a wish (aspirational and situational) list offered up by FDR in a speech for people "everywhere in the world" when various countries and people in Europe were being overrun and eliminated in January 1941. The issuance of the four freedom stamp during FDR's presidency was no coincidence but political and the mention of them on the 5 cent commemorate to FDR, after his 1945 death, issued in January 1946 was honoring not the freedoms, but his 1941 speech, and perhaps the successful outcome in 1945, from the USA point of view when issued in January 1946 some months after the other three of the series.

Thus to include the so-called four freedoms is outside of or hijacks the stated scope of your intended 1st Amendment exhibit. Both subjects as you have been shown can be collected as a topical but one does not wholly contain the other.



What is it all about? This:

Issued 11-6-2020 honoring the updating of the Constitution:



In my post above I discussed the historic context of two different but slightly overlapping ideas within the USA.

Now when you look beyond the borders of the USA for other expressions of the type of rights in the USA's 1st Amendment, you should consider the context of the stamps issued in other countries.

For example here is the preamble of the Constitution of another country which also claims their citizens have similar rights:

"We, the multinational people of the Russian Federation, united by a common fate on our land, establishing human rights and freedoms, civic peace and accord, preserving the historically established state unity, proceeding from the universally recognized principles of equality and self-determination of peoples, revering the memory of ancestors who have conveyed to us the love for the Fatherland, belief in the good and justice, reviving the sovereign statehood of Russia and asserting the firmness of its democratic basic, striving to ensure the well-being and prosperity of Russia, proceeding from the responsibility for our Fatherland before the present and future generations, recognizing ourselves as part of the world community, adopt the CONSTITUTION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION."

The details of those rights can be found here: http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-01.htm


So if you exhibit your 1st Amendment collection, how would you answer the judges if asked, "Why _____ [is or isn't; pick one] the 11-6-2020 Russian Stamp shown?" It is all scope and context, often more than we realize.

Belgium 2006 Freedom of the Press issue (designer Gerard Alsteen)