In the early years of the North American colonies, many attempts were made to initiate a postal service. These early attempts were of small scale and usually involved a colony, Massachusetts Bay Colony for … See more

The official post office was created in 1792 as the Post Office Department (USPOD). It was based on the Constitutional authority empowering Congress "To establish post offices and post roads". The 1792 law provided for a greatly expanded postal network, and … See more

The advent of Rural Free Delivery (RFD) in the U.S. in 1896, and the inauguration of a domestic parcel post service by Postmaster General See more

• Aneja, Abhay, and Guo Xu. "Strengthening state capacity: Postal reform and innovation during the Gilded Age" (NBER No. … See more

Before the Revolution, there was only a trickle of business or governmental correspondence between the colonies. Most of the mail went back and forth to counting houses and government offices in London. The revolution made Philadelphia, the … See more

The postal system played a crucial role in national expansion. It facilitated expansion of the western American frontier by creating an … See more

• Pony Express, a famous private service in 1860-61 that carried documents to California; it was not part of the post office.
• Postage stamps and postal history of the United States See more