The American Postal Service: History of the Postal Service from the Earliest Times

In Short

This volume is an earnest, administrative history of the United States Postal Service as it stood in 1917. It traces the service from the "crown postmasters" of the colonial era to the modern, expansive machinery of the early twentieth century, complete with details on parcel post, rural free delivery, and the department's internal operations. By documenting the shift toward government-led efficiency and public service, the narrative captures a pivotal moment when the mail transformed from a precarious colonial necessity into a massive, standardized pillar of American national life.

The Story

The story of the American post begins in the colonial period, characterized by the "crown postmasters" who served as both agents of the English government and, inevitably, objects of suspicion. These early postmasters held the power to "spy" on correspondence and monitor the press, often suppressing "outspoken" dissent against the Crown. Yet, this very infrastructure, ironically, became the bedrock of colonial unification. Post riders like Paul Revere moved through the colonies, and postmasters, who were frequently newspaper publishers themselves, utilized their free mailing privileges to circulate ideas. This network allowed colonists to coordinate their resistance, turning disparate settlements into a cohesive, liberty-loving nation.

Following the birth of the republic, the postal service moved from these humble beginnings into a period of institutional solidification. When the government relocated to Washington in 1800, the Post Office Department began its long journey toward becoming a modern federal entity. The narrative moves through the nineteenth century, noting the formalization of laws—such as the mandatory prepayment of postage and the regulation of post roads—that replaced the informal, private-opportunity methods of the past. As the country expanded, so did the reach of the mail, eventually bridging the vast distances of the American frontier and the wilds of Alaska.

By the early 1900s, the focus shifted toward "standardization" and the integration of new technologies. The story reaches its zenith with the implementation of the Parcel Post, a government-operated "express service" that allowed farmers and city dwellers to trade directly, bypassing traditional commercial monopolies. The narrative highlights the triumph of this "democratic and cooperative" system, which aimed to bring government services directly to the doorstep of every citizen. The concluding arc of this history emphasizes the administrative successes of the era, such as the growth of rural free delivery, the creation of efficient "hall of records" for historical preservation, and the ongoing push for public ownership of telegraphs and telephones. Ultimately, the book presents a picture of a service that has moved beyond its origins as a simple courier of letters to become the primary, government-guaranteed engine of national communication, trade, and infrastructure.

How It Unfolds

The colonial forge The narrative opens with the role of the Crown postmasters in pre-revolutionary America, where their surveillance of the mails inadvertently fueled the spirit of independence. The system acted as the primary artery for trade and political discourse, bridging the gap between jealous, disparate colonies.

The administrative era The focus shifts to the move of the department to Washington in 1800, marking the transition into a centralized, legalistic government bureau. This section details the strict regulations governing postmasters, such as the mandate to protect all mail from accidental loss or "rubbish" during office cleaning.

The expansion of services The narrative moves into the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, highlighting the massive logistical growth of the system through the introduction of Rural Free Delivery. It describes how the government successfully extended its reach to millions of families, transforming the isolation of farm life into a connected, national community.

The modern utility The final beats examine the Parcel Post as a mechanism for social and economic reform, allowing for the direct shipment of goods like farm produce to city consumers. The account concludes with an overview of the department’s administrative modernization, including the standardization of post offices and the management of large-scale financial records.

The People

Albert Sidney Burleson, the Postmaster General of the 1910s, emerges as the central architect of the modern system. He is portrayed as a forward-thinking administrator who champions government-run utilities and aggressively pushes to expand the reach of the postal service to every corner of the nation. He is supported by assistants like John C. Koons and Otto Praeger, who represent the transition from local post-office experience to high-level departmental management.

In the broader historical context, Benjamin Franklin stands as the foundational figure, representing the era when the service was still a manageable, personal enterprise. The narrative also invokes the memory of visionaries like John Wanamaker, a former Postmaster General noted for his "far-seeing vision" regarding the potential for door-to-door collection and delivery. These figures are contrasted against the "crown postmasters" of the past, who viewed their positions as tools of imperial control rather than public service. The rural carriers are also highlighted as the "working partners" of the department, tasked with the physical reality of mending roads and bridging streams to ensure that the mail, and by extension the government, reaches the most isolated citizens.

In Its Own Voice

“These crown postmasters had, or at least they exercised, the right of ‘spying’ upon the mails intrusted to their care.”

This passage highlights the tension between the imperial government and the colonists during the early, colonial history of the service.

“The postal service did more than any one other agency to unify and unite the colonists.”

The author argues that the logistical network of the post office was the essential, unseen structure that made the American Revolution possible.

“The parcel post, the great express service of the Government, is now used so generally and for so many purposes that the mention of some of the things that are being shipped may be of interest.”

This sentence introduces the practical, everyday utility that the government-run parcel service brought to the American public in the early twentieth century.

What It's Really About

This book is a treatise on the transition of the American government from a limited, passive entity to a proactive provider of essential public infrastructure. At its core, it argues that the post office is not merely a department but the primary agent of national cohesion and economic fair play. It poses the question of whether the government should act as a benevolent "middleman" between producer and consumer to break the grip of private monopolies. By comparing the "bureaucratic" and "red-tape" ridden systems of Europe with the "democratic and cooperative" American model, the book positions the postal service as a vital, evolving experiment in modern democracy that must remain free of the "obstinate blindness" of tradition.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in institutional history or the development of American infrastructure will find this a fascinating, if occasionally dense, look at a neglected aspect of the national story. It provides a unique, "behind-the-scenes" perspective on how a massive bureaucracy operates, capturing the specific, optimistic tone of the early twentieth-century American government. The writing is precise and factual, though it reflects the period’s penchant for detailed tabular summaries and lists of departmental regulations.

You will likely be struck by how the problems of 1917—the challenges of rural access, the debate over government versus private control, and the struggle to maintain efficient public records—resonate with modern concerns about logistics and digital connectivity. It is a slow, methodical read that asks you to appreciate the sheer scale of the labor required to move a country's mail. The book is remarkably free of modern sensationalism, offering instead a dry, proud, and incredibly detailed account of what it takes to bind a nation together through paper, ink, and the humble act of delivery. It stays with you as a testament to the idea that the mundane work of government is, in fact, the work of nation-building.