Postal Service

History of the Postal Service

Many of us still use the Postal Service. It's a very easy way to get a card or package from place to another in a timely manner. I use it all the time to send out cards and gifts across the country where the rest of my extended family lives such as my grandparents. How did this service even come about and what is happening today with it?

In 1775, Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General by Second Continental Congress and the first post office was based off in Philadelphia. Their first mission statement was,"That a line of posts be appointed under the direction of the postmaster general, from Falmouth in New England to Savannah in Georgia with as many cross points as he shall think fit." Todays mission statement and promise from them is,"Everyone has the right to equal access to secure, efficient and affordable mail service." The postal service is the second oldest federal department/agency of the U.S.

Some important dates that helped the postal service become what they are today:

1775: Ben Franklin appointed first Postmaster General

1847: U.S stamps are issued

1860: Pony Express began

1918: Scheduled Airmail service began

1963: Zip Code inaugurated

1971: USPS operations started

1994: Postal Service launched public Internet site

2006: Postal Accountability/Enhancement Act

2009: Free USPS iPhone app offered

As we can see above as the technology changed throughout the years so did the postal service. One of their newer things that they implemented is the iPhone app and if they didn't have an app or if they aren't accessible through cell phones then people wouldn't use them as often. The postal service today has over 400,000 post offices and over 212 billion pieces of mail are delivered to over 144 million homes in the U.S. With over 700 thousand workers, they are the nations largest civilian employer and the employees handle more than 44% of the worlds cards/letters. They are a non-profit organization so they make their money by selling stamps and other products such as cardboard boxes.

Question to think about:

What would happen if we got rid of the postal service? Would it impact our economy in a negative way? Answer in the comments below!