Issued on December 27, 1980, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capital of the Cherokee Nation, this 19-cent stamp was the first in the Great Americans series. It honors Sequoyah, a remarkable figure in American history. Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, around 1770, Sequoyah was a silversmith and warrior who, despite being illiterate in any other language, developed a syllabary for the Cherokee language. After more than a decade of work, he perfected his system of 86 characters, which was so simple and effective that it was quickly adopted by the Cherokee people, leading to a rapid spread of literacy. The first Native American newspaper, the *Cherokee Phoenix*, was printed using his syllabary. Sequoyah later moved to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, where he continued to be a respected leader. This stamp is a tribute to his genius and his lasting contribution to the preservation of Cherokee culture.