George Washington and the US Postal Service

Philadelphia, the capital of Pennsylvania, USA (1800 the former capital will not be moved to Washington, D.C.) February 1 may be a cold day, and President George Washington signed the 1792 postal service bill. Although a basic colonial mail service has existed for nearly a century and a half, this new law has completely changed the mail game. It has given the US Postal Service a two-year window, which will soon be extended indefinitely. As written in the law, it gives the Federation the ability to establish official postal routes. It also allows newspapers to be included in mail delivery at a lower price. As described in "* * *", the reason for this is to ensure that information spreads from the city center to the farthest border of this growing country. In addition, it also stipulates the privilege of the president and vice president to mail free of charge, and stipulates that it is illegal for anyone (including postal employees) to open other people's mail without permission. In other words, the bill signed by the first president of the United States 225 years ago established the modern American postal service as we all know. Sometimes, we love today.

This is the early history of the American postal service and how it officially became a reality in that stormy winter 225 years ago.

According to a research report in 1894, the earliest post office of any kind was established in this colony in 1639, and a pub opened by Richard fairbanks, the general court of Massachusetts, was designated as the first post office. This is consistent with the traditional cafes and pubs in Europe, which are all mail centers. The first postman may start from 1672 or 1673. Their task is to "behave in a civilized way" and mark the trees so that other travelers know where they are going.

Almost at the same time, a monthly mail route was established between new york and Boston. It is called Old Boston Post Road, and it is still a part of today's American highway 1. Twenty years later, the king and queen of England granted Thomas Neil a grant of 265,438+0 years to set up an office for sending and receiving letters and set postal rates. Thomas Neil is an Englishman and has never been to a colony. This formed a centralized postal organization, which helped to promote more effective communication between colonies and encourage trade and commerce. 1707, the British royal family bought Grant and put the system under their control.

By the 1930s of 17, the postal system in the colonies was quite perfect. Postmen from Maine to Georgia (in the south, usually slaves) trudged to deliver letters, letters and contracts in the rapidly expanding land of the United States. The post of postmaster has become a fashionable but important position. They are responsible for postage, the exact route of the carrier and the location of the post office. In addition, each city has its own postmaster, who performs many of the same duties as the postmaster, but they are all based on regions. 1737, a young publisher, printer and famous citizen leader aged 3/kloc-0 was appointed as the postmaster of Philadelphia, which was one of the most populous cities in the colony at that time. His name is Benjamin Franklin.

From 65438 to 2006, Franklin used his influence and power as the postmaster of the city to increase the circulation of the Pennsylvania Gazette by reducing the postage fee of newspapers. Although this does seem to be a conflict of interest, it is actually encouraged.

1753, the postmaster died of a long illness, and Franklin and william hunter of Williamsburg were promoted to joint postmasters of all colonies. In that position, Franklin helped modernize the post office. His first task is to make a long trip in order to inspect the post office and investigate the route used. He concluded that a more efficient route was needed, so he supervised the marking and layout of these new roads.

Next, he set up a night service between Philadelphia and new york to speed up mail delivery. Then, he installed a standardized postage system based on weight and delivery distance. He also made a regular postal schedule from the colonies to the British mainland. To 1760,

The colonial post office has brought profits to the British royal family for the first time since it was operated for more than a century. However, with the gloom of the revolution, Franklin's loyalty to the colony became clear. Although Franklin did a lot of famous work for Britain, he was relieved of his post as postmaster in 1774 because of his sympathy for the colonies.

Franklin's career in charge of mail is not over. Within weeks of the American Revolution triggered by the battles of Lexington and Concord, the Second Continental Congress was held, with Franklin as the representative of Pennsylvania. At that time, William Goddard ran the Constitutional Post, a mail service company funded by newspaper subscribers. Its main purpose is to spread information about the rebellion and connect the Congress with the army. Because of this, postmen must swear to lock their letters in case the British try to take them away. July 1775,

Citing his experience, Franklin was appointed as the postmaster general of the Constitution. Because he was in this position when the Declaration of Independence was published, he won the honor of being the first postmaster in American history. However, he will resign in June165438+1October of that year in order to become a representative of Paris and win their support for this war.

Six years later, the federal constitution gave the Federation the right to establish and manage post offices. Amendments and decrees continue to increase the responsibilities, restrictions and rules of post offices, including saying that the federal government monopolizes the delivery of mail. The constitution, 1788, which was formally adopted in June, gives the post office many powers like AOC. To1790,75 post offices and about 2,400 miles of postal routes serve nearly 4 million people in the United States. Two years later, 1792, the first president of the United States signed the Postal Service Act, which established the modern American postal service. The rest, as they say, is history.

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The history of post-horse express is unexpectedly short. How to deal with undeliverable mail without a return address? The mailbox and postmaster, two teenagers and a bicycle, borrowed $65,438+000 from a friend-what does the "postal code" in ——UPS's "postal code" stand for and what does the number stand for? Refer to George Washington's signing of the Postal Bill-the historical website 1792 Postal Bill-the Smithsonian National Postal Museum's Postal Service-Thomas Jefferson's Early History of Monticello Colonial Post Office -Archive.org's Domestic Credit Rate,1792-1863. Chapter 7: 1 Feb. 20, 792: bill to establish post offices and postal routes in the United States-New Jersey Postal Service Historical Society-How Philadelphia lost the national capital to Washington-National Constitution Center-American Highway1is a historical highway-US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Colonial Post Office, william smith, American Historical Review.