1972 P.T.A. STAMP: Parent Teacher Association 75th Anniversary, Began in 1897

Description

This Listing is for ONE NEW Single P.T.A.
8¢ Stamp from 1972.
Mint. MNH. No flaws. Original undisturbed gum. From a Smoke-free and Pet-free Environment.
On September 15, 1972 in San Francisco, CA, t
he
U.S. Postal Service issued
this 8¢ commemorative gummed
P.T.A.
stamp recognizing the 75th Anniversary of the Parent Teacher Association
. The blackboard with chalk inscription design is by Arthur S. Congdon III of New Canaan, CT.
PTA is concerned with the nation’s most valuable resource, those young citizens who in turn will grow up to become parents and teachers. The association tries to unite the home, school, and community, and has sponsored hundreds of laws to improve the quality of living and learning of American youth.
The National Parent Teacher Association was the brainchild of Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst. The first meeting was held on February 17, 1897 in Washington, DC. They had expected about 200 people to attend, but a total of 2,000 people turned out. While most of the people in attendance were mothers, there were also fathers, teachers, laborers, and legislators. During that meeting, Birney was made the president of the National Congress of Mothers and Hearst was made the vice president. Mrs. Letitia Stevenson (wife of Vice President Adlai Stevenson) was also made a vice president.  Afterward, First Lady Frances Cleveland hosted a reception at the White House.
In 1898, they promoted cooperation between parents and teachers, and pushed for a national health bureau. In the coming years, they called on more fathers to join the organization and speak out for juvenile justice, child labor laws, and providing federal aid to schools. They began providing hot lunches to children in schools, and launched a campaign on child hygiene to reduce children’s mortality rates. In the 1920s, the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers was founded to support children in segregated states (they joined with the PTA in the 1970s).
In 1924, the organization adopted a new name, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. It was also during this time that the PTA launched a crusade against illiteracy. In the 1930s, the PTA began a special nutrition project and provided emergency aid to prevent children from suffering during the Depression. They also began studying school bus safety.
In the 1940s, the PTA launched its nationwide school lunch program. And in the 1950s, they held a conference on narcotics and drug addiction in youth. The PTA also helped field-test and gain support for the Salk Polio Vaccine. In the 1960s, the PTA spoke out about the dangers of smoking and pushed for toy safety legislation. They also created a nationwide cultural arts program and brought more attention to home-school relations in low-income areas.
In the 1970s, the PTA spoke out about alcohol abuse and violence on television and encouraged parents to take part in decision-making in schools. In the 1980s, the PTA pushed for safety belt legislation and created a drug and alcohol prevention program. In the 1990s, they launched a campaign to protect children from violence and worked with other national groups to encourage parental involvement in early education.
Today, the PTA operates in every state as well as the District of Columbia, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, with about 23,000 local organizations.
Scott # 1463
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