Most people who are familiar with Independence Hall in Philadelphia know – at least – that important decisions were made there during the American Revolution. All the beginnings of our nation can trace back to the debates and discussions of a small group of men risking their lives to start and lead a rebellion against the British crown.
One of the most important meetings of the Second Continental Congress occurred in that hall July 26, 1775, against a dramatic backdrop of thunderstorms, nearly a year before the Declaration of Independence and just six weeks after the Battle of Bunker Hill. The topic was the urgent need to establish secure and reliable communications with the Continental Army and among the colonies.
Following debate, the Congress agreed to these eight points:
• Appoint a postmaster general with an office in Philadelphia. The salary was $1,000 salary; $340 for a secretary and comptroller. The postmaster had the power to appoint deputies (local postmasters)
• A line of posts from Maine to Savannah, Ga., with cross posts as needed
• Deputy postmasters to be paid a commission of 20% and 10% on sums over $1,000
• Postage rates to be 20% less than charged by the British post
• Postmasters to submit quarterly accounts; deficiencies to be paid from the treasury
• A weekly post to South Carolina
• That it be left to the postmaster general to appoint a secretary and comptroller
• The Congress then elected a postmaster general for one year, and until another is appointed by a future Congress. Benjamin Franklin was the unanimous choice.
And after creating the postal service, Congress called it a day and adjourned.
When the United States became a nation, a free press and the unhindered flow of ideas and commerce were enabled by a universally accessible Postal Service. In those early, formative years, the postal service was part of the bedrock of America’s economy and its democracy – and it always has been.
And so, on this month of the 250th anniversary of the United States Postal Service, perhaps as you visit your mailbox, please give a thought to those far-sighted founders in Philadelphia. They would no doubt would be amazed and gratified to know that their ideals and aspirations are carried forward every day by the 630,000 men and women of the postal service who today live, work and serve in every community in America.
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