# 2355 - 1987 22c Drafting the Constitution: The Bicentennial

U.S. #2355
1987 22¢ The Bicentennial
Drafting the Constitution Booklet Stamps

• From the first commemorative booklet with four panes
• Commemorates 200^th anniversary of the US Constitution

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Drafting the Constitution
Value:  22¢, first-class rate
First Day of Issue:  August 28, 1987
First Day City:  Washington, DC
Quantity Issued:  116,868,000
Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method:  Photogravure
Format:  Booklet with four panes of five stamps printed in cylinders of 120
Perforations:  10 horizontal on 1 or 2 sides

Why the stamp was issued:  To commemorate the 200^th anniversary of the US Constitution.

About the stamp design:  The Constitution Bicentennial stamps were designed by Bradbury Thompson.  They were printed with a light blue background that creates a marbled effect.  Each stamp has a yellow and black stylized eagle on the top right side.  The eagle is based on a photo of an original woodcarving believed to have been created by William Rush, the first successful Native American sculptor.  The first stamp describes what the issue commemorates while the other four contain quotes from the Preamble to the US Constitution.

This stamp reads “The Bicentennial of the Constitution of the United States of America 1787-1987”

About the printing process:  The BEP used new water-based gravure inks for these stamps and tagged the booklet panes in a new “stripe” style.  The stripes avoided the perforation areas to prevent the perforation pins from corroding.

First Day City:  The First Day ceremony for this booklet pane was held at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, where the US Constitution is on display.

About the Drafting the other Constitution stamps: 

The second stamp (#2356) reads “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union…”

The third stamp (#2357) reads “Establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare…”

The fourth stamp (#2358) reads “And secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity…”

The fifth stamp (#2359) reads “Do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

History the stamp represents:  On September 17, 1787, 39 delegates from 12 states signed the U.S. Constitution, laying the groundwork of our nation’s government.

In the Spring of 1787, delegates from 12 of the 13 states (Rhode Island didn’t participate, they opposed a national government) met at Independence Hall in Philadelphia to amend the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention was set to open on May 4, but few of the delegates had arrived by that time. Though, one arrived early and eager – James Madison.

Madison was ready to share and implement his ideas to improve to the U.S. government. He arrived at the convention with a number of resources to share with his fellow delegates. Madison brought a paper on early and modern confederacies, and another explaining what he considered the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. His plan was to create a new central government with stronger powers, an elected chief executive with the power to veto legislation, a federal judiciary branch, and a two-chambered legislature. While each branch would have certain set responsibilities, they would each also have the opportunity to take part in checks and balances of each other’s actions.

Madison’s plan was an overwhelming success. The members of the convention drafted the new constitution based largely on his ideas and signed it on September 17, replacing the Articles of Confederation. In addition, he shared his Virginia Plan, which consisted of a House of Representatives (with the members from each state dependent on population) and a Senate (whose delegates would be elected by the House of Representatives) was utilized as the national hierarchy with one change. In the final plan, the number of Senators from each state would be the same, which differed slightly from Madison’s vision.

In order for the proposed constitution to take effect, at least nine out of 13 states needed to ratify it. Madison lobbied extensively to ensure the constitution’s passage. Along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, Madison published a series of 85 essays called “The Federalist Papers.” They explained in detail how the constitution would work. Madison is credited with writing 26 of these essays. Despite opposing arguments from Patrick Henry, James Monroe, and George Mason, the constitution was ratified by each state by 1790. The U.S. Constitution was now the supreme law of America.