The History of the United States Postal Service

 

The History of the 

United States Postal Service

Today millions of people rely on the postal service to deliver their letters and packages in an efficient and timely manner. But did you know that the postal service began as a ploy to discuss treason among those wishing to separate from Britain? From 1753-1774 Benjamin Franklin oversaw Britain's mail service to America. It was during these years that underground networks were already in motion. The Committees of Correspondence, a group of institutions that communicated through underground networks to debate and discuss withdrawal from the British Parliament, had already found a means to secretly negotiate. On July 26, 1775, the Continental Congress formed the first postal service under the leadership of Benjamin Franklin. 

It was James Madison who saw the real opportunity that the postal service could bring to the new nation. Using subsidized funds from higher priced postage to fund newspapers with political agendas, was a valuable resource for the young nations citizens to speak and hear the opinions of others. Citizens were part of that information process and communication capabilities grew as did the political voice of the people. The founding fathers knew that having an effective means of communication was crucial in structuring the new independent nation.  The idea of connecting people and their ideas and opinions was necessary in bringing a nation of people together.  

The postal service is one of the oldest federal agencies that still exists today. Through the decades, mail has been delivered in a variety of ways. In the beginning, the use of horses that traveled along federal routes allowed the mail to be delivered to post offices. People would often wait in long lines for their mail. The first postal map included routes between the 13 post offices in 1729. 

Post Route Map 1729

In the beginning years of the postal service, it was mainly used for communications between Congress and the nations armies. It was these communications that allowed and assisted the colonies in their cause for liberty. As America grew and territories expanded further west, there was a dramatic increase in the nations population. As more and more states joined, the postal service also grew. The need for more and more post offices and faster service became a necessity. By the year 1822, it took 11 days to deliver mail from Washington, DC to Nashville, TN. What had once taken weeks, was now down to just a few days.   

Mail Delivery 1921

The railrway system was yet another way the postal service delivered mail.  By 1832, and with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, the postal service was delivering mail all across the country. Known as the Railway Mail System (RMS), 93% of all non local mail  was sorted and distributed via the railway system.

US Mail Steamboat Adriatic 1850's

Waterways were the main source of travel in the 19th century. Steamboat companies were a huge resource in moving goods up and down the east coast and along the Mississippi River. Letters were first carried unofficially by passengers or crew members until the Postmaster General made it possible for steamboat captains to move the mail. The government set about chartering steamboats to move the mail. From 1845 to 1855, the distance the mail traveled by steamboat doubled. 

The Pony Express

Using a variety of delivery formats over the decades, the postal service began operation using horseback that covered 2400 miles. The postal service served a country with an ever growing population and demand. The Pony Express was established to help bridge the gap in the areas the railway couldn't reach. By 1860, the Pony Express could move mail in a mere ten days from the east coast to the west coast.

US Mail Vehicle 1910

With the invention of both steam and gas powered vehicles, came a more efficient delivery system for the mail. In 1899, it was an electric automobile that was able to collect mail from 40 mailboxes in 1.5 hours making that collection half the time it took horseback. It was around 1913 that the use of postal automobiles were used to deliver letters and packages. 

First Mail Delivery 1911

Next came the use of motorcycles to deliver the mail to more rural areas during the early 1900's. Used for just a brief time in history, these were eventually replaced by four wheeled vehicles. Airmail began in 1918 when pilot planes were borrowed from the army and were used to deliver the mail. It was Charles Lindbergh who piloted an airmail plane and flew between Chicago and St. Louis in 1926. A transcontinental flight to deliver the mail took one day, ten hours, and twenty minutes! 

Microfilmed V-Mails 1943

Instead of airmail, Victory Mail (V-Mail) was something that was used during World War II. Used as a way of communicating with loved ones, V-Mail was a process and technique that had been previously used to develop bank records. Special stationary was used to write on and then that stationary was processed by copying to film, then printed. The postal service would open the letters and microfilm them and after doing so, the film was sent to military bases where they were developed and printed for the soldiers. This saved millions of pounds of mail from having to be delivered.

The impact of the development of the postal service has had both positive and negative impacts. With primary interests in separating from Britain, the postal service allowed colonists to discuss and plan such efforts. Passing information and strategy was a positive impact because it allowed a new nation to form and succeed in their cause for liberty. Another positive impact is that the postal system helped link the east coast to the west coast. Beforehand, communicating with people on the other side of the country was nearly impossible. With the development of roads by the federal government, came faster and more efficient mail delivery even into rural areas. The railway industry owes much of its development to the postal service. When the postal service started a partnership with the railway, both people and the mail began to move more quickly. What used to take months was reduced to weeks. The same was true of the steamboat industry. Because the postal service used the resources and outsourced mail delivery through sea channels, making water travel more popular. 

At the same time, the impact of the development of the postal service has had several negative impacts. One such negative was the expense and lack of profitability of the postal service. Operating in a self-sufficient manner, the postal service only has revenues it generates making profitability challenging.  Additionally, it can be very expensive when sending weighted items. In countries that are more remote, the postal service has been slow in development. The postal service requires high maintenance and lacks production at times of high volumes. When there are labor disputes and postal employees go on strike, work stoppages occur causing delays in mail delivery. Finally, natural disasters can affect mail delivery. In times of earthquakes, hurricanes, and other disasters, the postal service is more vulnerable.  

Current Logo US Postal Service

The postal service changed how we communicate. Developed for nation building, the postal service has been responsible for several functions like development of postal roads, mail delivery to urban and remote areas, and a form of communication for print material like newspapers and advertising. The postal service was a key factor to the development and growth of our nation.