This se-tenant of four stamps commemorates John Hancock's signing of the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hancock was the president and only member of the Continental Congress to sign the document on that date. The design reproduces a painting by John Trumbull (1756-1843). The Bicentennial Series The U.S. Bicentennial was a series of celebrations during the mid-1970s that commemorated the historic events leading to America’s independence from Great Britain. The official events began on April 1, 1975, when the American Freedom Train departed Delaware to begin a 21-month, 25,338-mile tour of the 48 contiguous states. For more than a year, a wave of patriotism swept the nation as elaborate firework displays lit up skies across the U.S., an international fleet of tall-mast sailing ships gathered in New York City and Boston, and Queen Elizabeth made a state visit. The celebration culminated on July 4, 1976, with the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.