Hispanic Americans in the Postal Service and Philately

Topical Reference Page
2 cent stamp with the face of John Philip Sousa

2-cent John Philip Sousa stamp, issued May 3, 1940. Sousa (1854-1932) was director of the Marine Band from 1880 to 1892. He wrote more than 100 marches, including "Semper Fidelis", "The Washington Post March", "El Capitan", and the most popular, "The Stars and Stripes Forever".

Since the first Spanish explorers and settlers landed in the Americas, Hispanic and Latino people have shaped the history and culture of the United States. Today, Hispanic and Latino people continue to demonstrate excellence in many areas including politics, public service, music, film, sports, business, science, and the military. The National Postal Museum is proud to recognize the significant contributions of these people and related events through various online exhibitions.

Desde que los primeros exploradores y colonos españoles desembarcaron en las Américas, los hispanos y los latinos han dado forma a la historia y a la cultura de los Estados Unidos y de América Latina. En la actualidad, los hispanos y los latinos continúan demostrando excelencia en muchas áreas, como la política, el servicio público, la música, el cine, los deportes, los negocios, la ciencia, y el servicio militar. El Museo Postal Nacional se enorgullece de reconocer las importantes contribuciones de estos pueblos y eventos relacionados a través de varias exposiciones en línea.

Exhibition
Theodore Samuel “Ted” Williams (1918–2002) played nineteen seasons at left field for the Boston Red Sox. Born in San Diego to an American father and Mexican American mother, he rarely mentioned his heritage, fearing discrimination.
Exhibition

The 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s initial landing in the “New World” provided Chicagoans with an occasion to reflect, to celebrate, and to memorialize the adventurous Italian navigator. Though financial and construction problems postponed the celebration for one year, in 1893 city leaders hosted a magnificent international exhibition to commemorate both Columbus and the nation’s progress over those four centuries—the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. In keeping with the exposition’s celebratory theme, the U.S. Post Office Department issued the nation’s first commemorative stamps, the “Columbians”.

Learn more

Exhibition

Exploring Cuba's History Through Postage Stamps
Explore Cuba's postal and aviation history in an ongoing research and exhibition effort to study and bring to the public an important research resource for the cultural history of Cuba, the Roberto Pichs collection of Cuban postage stamps.

Learn more