The Story of the US Postal Service
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 281 820 SO 018 202 TITLE We Deliver: The Story of the U.S. Postal Service. INSTITUTION Postal Service, Washington, DC. PUB DATE 80 NOTE 25p.; Illustrations will not reproduce clearly. PUB TYPE Historical Materials (060) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Government Employees; Government Role; *Public Agencies;_ United States History IDENTIFIERS *PoStal Service ABSTRACT This eight-chapter illustrated booklet chronicles the history of the U.S. Post Office from its establishment by the Continental Congress in 1775 to the present. Chapter 1, "The Colonists," describes the postal service before the Revolutionary War. Benjamin Franklin's appointment as the first Postmaster General of the U.S. and his many contributions to the postal serviceare covered in Chapter 2, "Father of the U.S. Postal Service." Chapter 3, "The Revolution and After," portrays the huge increase that occurred in the U.S. population from the time of Andrew Jackson to the Civil War, the resulting huge increase in mail volume that occurred, and the actions the postal system took to overcome the problems. In Chapter 4, "The Pony Express," the 18-month life span of the pony express is chronicled as are the reasons for its demise. Two Postmaster Generals, Montgomery Blair and John Wanamaker, are portrayed in Chapter 5, "Two Postal Titans." These two men provided leadership which resulted in improved employee attitudes and new services to customers, such as free rural delivery and pneumatic tubes. Chapter 6, "Postal Stamps," tells the history of the postage stamp, and how a stamp is developed. Chapter 7, "Moving the Mail," presents a history of the mail service and the different modes of transportation on which it depends.
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