1792
George Washington signs the Postal Service Act
On this day in 1792,
President George Washington signs legislation creating the U.S. Postal Service.
Prior to the American Revolution,
correspondence between parties depended largely upon hired private couriers,
friends and the help of merchants. Individual colonies set up informal post
offices in taverns and shops where horse-drawn carriages or riders would pick
up and drop off mail en route.
In 1707, the British government established
the position of Postmaster General to better coordinate postal service in the
colonies, though the business was still conducted largely by private
individuals. In 1737, a 31-year-old American colonist named Benjamin Franklin
took over as Postmaster General and oversaw the colonial postal service from
England until he was dismissed for subversive acts on behalf of the rebellious
colonies in 1774. Franklin then returned to America and helped create a rival
postal system for the emerging nation.
Based on Franklin’s recommendations, the
Continental Congress created the Constitutional Post in 1775. During the
Revolutionary War, then-Commanding General George Washington depended heavily
on the postal service to carry messages between the Army and Congress. Although
Article IX of the Articles of Confederation written in 1781 authorized Congress
to [establish and regulate] post offices from one State to another, the
formation of an official U.S. Postal Service remained a work in progress.
Finally, on February 20, 1792, President
Washington formally created the U.S. Postal Service with the signing of the
Postal Service Act, which outlined in detail Congressional power to establish
official mail routes. The act allowed for newspapers to be included in mail
deliveries and made it illegal for postal officials to open anyone’s mail. In
1792, a young American nation of approximately 4 million people enjoyed
federally funded postal services including 75 regional post offices and 2,400
miles of postal routes.
The cost of sending a letter ranged from 6
cents to 12 cents. Under Washington, the Postal Service administration was
headquartered in Philadelphia. In 1800, it followed other federal agencies to
the nation’s new capital in Washington, D.C.