Commemoration of the American Civil War on postage stamps
The Commemoration of the American Civil War on postage stamps concerns both the actual stamps and covers used during the American Civil War, and the later postage celebrations. The latter include commemorative stamp issues devoted to the actual events and personalities of the war, as well as definitive issues depicting many noteworthy individuals who participated in the era's crucial developments.... the generation that carried on the war has been set apart by its experience ... in our youth our hearts were touched with fire. It was given to us to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing. While we are permitted to scorn nothing but indifference, and ... above all, we have learned that ... [in one's life work], the one and only success which it is [for each of us] to command is to bring to his work a mighty heart. -- Oliver Wendell HolmesThe American Civil War is one of the secular crises in American history that produced heroes. Societies venerate people and events of the past and present, and governments likewise use a variety of official mechanisms to honor them, including place names, architecture, currency, and postage stamps. Like other secular crises, the conflict grew from seeds planted a generation before, in this case during the Transcendental Awakening: a sudden change of societal values. Transcendental idealists became abolitionists. Romantic evangelicals became fire-eater secessionists. The lifetime achievements of outstanding individuals from the Civil War era, both elder leaders and younger participants, have been honored on stamps both in the United States and in foreign nations.