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How the Post Office Created America: A History
A masterful history of a long underappreciated institution, How the Post Office Created America examines the surprising role of the postal service in our nation's political, social, economic, and physical development.
The founders established the post office before they had even signed the Declaration of Independence, and for a very long time, it was the U.S. government's largest and most important endeavor--indeed, it was the government for most citizens. This was no conventional mail network but the central nervous system of the new body politic, designed to bind thirteen quarrelsome colonies into the United States by delivering news about public affairs to every citizen--a radical idea that appalled Europe's great powers. America's uniquely democratic post powerfully shaped its lively, argumentative culture of uncensored ideas and opinions and made it the world's information and communications superpower with astonishing speed.
Winifred Gallagher presents the history of the post office as America's own story, told from a fresh perspective over more than two centuries. The mandate to deliver the mail--then "the media"--imposed the federal footprint on vast, often contested parts of the continent and transformed a wilderness into a social landscape of post roads and villages centered on post offices. The post was the catalyst of the nation's transportation grid, from the stagecoach lines to the airlines, and the lifeline of the great migration from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It enabled America to shift from an agrarian to an industrial economy and to develop the publishing industry, the consumer culture, and the political party system. Still one of the country's two major civilian employers, the post was the first to hire women, African Americans, and other minorities for positions in public life.
Starved by two world wars and the Great Depression, confronted with the country's increasingly anti-institutional mind-set, and struggling with its doubled mail volume, the post stumbled badly in the turbulent 1960s. Distracted by the ensuing modernization of its traditional services, however, it failed to transition from paper mail to email, which prescient observers saw as its logical next step. Now the post office is at a crossroads. Before deciding its future, Americans should understand what this grand yet overlooked institution has accomplished since 1775 and consider what it should and could contribute in the twenty-first century.
Gallagher argues that now, more than ever before, the imperiled post office deserves this effort, because just as the founders anticipated, it created forward-looking, communication-oriented, idea-driven America.
The founders established the post office before they had even signed the Declaration of Independence, and for a very long time, it was the U.S. government's largest and most important endeavor--indeed, it was the government for most citizens. This was no conventional mail network but the central nervous system of the new body politic, designed to bind thirteen quarrelsome colonies into the United States by delivering news about public affairs to every citizen--a radical idea that appalled Europe's great powers. America's uniquely democratic post powerfully shaped its lively, argumentative culture of uncensored ideas and opinions and made it the world's information and communications superpower with astonishing speed.
Winifred Gallagher presents the history of the post office as America's own story, told from a fresh perspective over more than two centuries. The mandate to deliver the mail--then "the media"--imposed the federal footprint on vast, often contested parts of the continent and transformed a wilderness into a social landscape of post roads and villages centered on post offices. The post was the catalyst of the nation's transportation grid, from the stagecoach lines to the airlines, and the lifeline of the great migration from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It enabled America to shift from an agrarian to an industrial economy and to develop the publishing industry, the consumer culture, and the political party system. Still one of the country's two major civilian employers, the post was the first to hire women, African Americans, and other minorities for positions in public life.
Starved by two world wars and the Great Depression, confronted with the country's increasingly anti-institutional mind-set, and struggling with its doubled mail volume, the post stumbled badly in the turbulent 1960s. Distracted by the ensuing modernization of its traditional services, however, it failed to transition from paper mail to email, which prescient observers saw as its logical next step. Now the post office is at a crossroads. Before deciding its future, Americans should understand what this grand yet overlooked institution has accomplished since 1775 and consider what it should and could contribute in the twenty-first century.
Gallagher argues that now, more than ever before, the imperiled post office deserves this effort, because just as the founders anticipated, it created forward-looking, communication-oriented, idea-driven America.
326 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
July 14, 2016
The much maligned US Postal Service is a $68.9B per year enterprise that handles 40% of the world's mail and charges the world's lowest rates. Despite it's /efficiency(and if you doubt that fact, try getting a package delivered in France), the American public persists in in thinking of it as a lumbering dinosaur that is obsolete in today's world of electronic communications. Those holding that view should read this book.
Winifred Gallagher traces teh founding of the US postal service from colonial days to the present and shows how the institution was an integral prt of the growth and settlement of the country. In fact the post office was established before the Declaration of Independence was signed as the founders recognized the need for reliable communications between the colonies.
AFter independence was won, the post office was responsible for building roads for the mail to travel on. It also subsidized the railroads and early airline industry through it's contracts to carry the mail from one part of the country to another. It gave women and minorities meaningful employment opportunities before any other industry , and made the mail order business possible. At one point in the early 20th Century the US post office handled more mail than all the rest of the countries of the world combined!
Unfortunately, the service did not keep up with it's success, refusing to spend the necessary funds to modernize it's equipment and it's distribution methods until there was a massive system meltdown in the 1970's (what most people remember of the USPS even today). Congress has been the system's worst enemy saddling the service with unrealistic labor expenses and hampering the implementation of cost saving measures.
A the end of the book, the author shows how the postal service missed opportunity after opportunity to leverage the digital revolution to renewed success. And she outlines how the service could enhance the distribution of broadband services today to remain relevant to the country. It's hard to imagine any of her recommendations being implemented in today's political climate and that's too bad because the story of the post office is the story of a country that dared to do big things. It would be nice if we did so once again.
Winifred Gallagher traces teh founding of the US postal service from colonial days to the present and shows how the institution was an integral prt of the growth and settlement of the country. In fact the post office was established before the Declaration of Independence was signed as the founders recognized the need for reliable communications between the colonies.
AFter independence was won, the post office was responsible for building roads for the mail to travel on. It also subsidized the railroads and early airline industry through it's contracts to carry the mail from one part of the country to another. It gave women and minorities meaningful employment opportunities before any other industry , and made the mail order business possible. At one point in the early 20th Century the US post office handled more mail than all the rest of the countries of the world combined!
Unfortunately, the service did not keep up with it's success, refusing to spend the necessary funds to modernize it's equipment and it's distribution methods until there was a massive system meltdown in the 1970's (what most people remember of the USPS even today). Congress has been the system's worst enemy saddling the service with unrealistic labor expenses and hampering the implementation of cost saving measures.
A the end of the book, the author shows how the postal service missed opportunity after opportunity to leverage the digital revolution to renewed success. And she outlines how the service could enhance the distribution of broadband services today to remain relevant to the country. It's hard to imagine any of her recommendations being implemented in today's political climate and that's too bad because the story of the post office is the story of a country that dared to do big things. It would be nice if we did so once again.
September 10, 2020
While I do not believe the post office created America, it can't be denied that our postal service is one of the country's cornerstones. The founders established this institution in an effort to provide the populace with the means to communicate and inform - and in so doing created the requirement for roads and outposts, transportation hubs and, above all, a constant stream of connective innovations that would serve the needs of their ever-expanding nation. The railway system owes a great deal to the postal service. The airline industry owes a great deal to the postal service. And in this time of pandemic, when a trip to a polling place could cost you your life, our democracy will likely owe a great deal to the postal service.
Winifred Gallagher, an author of several well-regarded books (most of which have to do with the experience of being human), has produced an exhaustively researched history of the United States Postal Service. There are facts here by the hundreds, and asides enough to nudge those frequently dry realities along...
Though twenty-four-year-old Abraham Lincoln didn't own the general store in New Salem, Illinois, he was appointed its postmaster by Postmaster General William Barry and served from 1833 to 1836. Other than the valued benefit of access to lots of newspapers, his rewards were modest, amounting to $55.70 in 1835, but then, so were his duties, considering that the mail came to town only once a week. Lincoln obligingly delivered any letters not picked up in a timely fashion, carrying them in his hat.
Pertinent to the present day, Gallagher explains that the office of Postmaster General has always been, since the department's founding, a presidential appointment offered as reward for past political support. This is not new or unique to Mr. Trump. If one is looking for a responsible party on the issue of the postal service's funding, functionality, and future, one must look squarely at Congress. The more astute among us will have noticed their congressional representatives doing a bit of a soft shoe around the matter at the moment. There are reasons for that, and this author shares them in a clear and helpful way.
Lest you become too enchanted, I will warn that there are a great number of arid passages here that have the texture of a middle school textbook and are certain to promote the sort of woolgathering one remembers from that time. Still, if you plan on following the hearings on this topic, or sliding into a healthy debate? This is the postal history you're looking for. Hands down.
Winifred Gallagher, an author of several well-regarded books (most of which have to do with the experience of being human), has produced an exhaustively researched history of the United States Postal Service. There are facts here by the hundreds, and asides enough to nudge those frequently dry realities along...
Though twenty-four-year-old Abraham Lincoln didn't own the general store in New Salem, Illinois, he was appointed its postmaster by Postmaster General William Barry and served from 1833 to 1836. Other than the valued benefit of access to lots of newspapers, his rewards were modest, amounting to $55.70 in 1835, but then, so were his duties, considering that the mail came to town only once a week. Lincoln obligingly delivered any letters not picked up in a timely fashion, carrying them in his hat.
Pertinent to the present day, Gallagher explains that the office of Postmaster General has always been, since the department's founding, a presidential appointment offered as reward for past political support. This is not new or unique to Mr. Trump. If one is looking for a responsible party on the issue of the postal service's funding, functionality, and future, one must look squarely at Congress. The more astute among us will have noticed their congressional representatives doing a bit of a soft shoe around the matter at the moment. There are reasons for that, and this author shares them in a clear and helpful way.
Lest you become too enchanted, I will warn that there are a great number of arid passages here that have the texture of a middle school textbook and are certain to promote the sort of woolgathering one remembers from that time. Still, if you plan on following the hearings on this topic, or sliding into a healthy debate? This is the postal history you're looking for. Hands down.
August 23, 2016
The second history of the US Postal Service published in 2016. Gallagher presents a lot of interesting facts about how the expansion of the United States was tied to the existence of a centralized post that expanded to meet the needs of the country. While I agree with her premise, the writing style made this a less-than-enjoyable read for me.
September 8, 2016
Gallagher is a great defender of the US postal system. Being bored for long stretches was my own fault - it's way more interesting than it might look and one can't be inspired by every turn in the "saga." Is this micro-history or macro? A little of both, in a sense.
My grandpa would have loved this book.
My grandpa would have loved this book.
December 30, 2020
This was a fun little book. The book traces American History through the Post Office. Unlike many books that force a theme to overlay the subject, the history of the United States and the Post Office to mirror each other. Thus, this book works really well in presenting its story.
It was a bit simplistic, but a fun jaunt down the history of America as seen through the postal service.
It was a bit simplistic, but a fun jaunt down the history of America as seen through the postal service.
February 2, 2024
When you really think about it, the Postal Service is pretty amazing.
October 29, 2021
It began before the Revolution and was required to be proved for by the Constitution itself, the Post Office. How the Post Office Created America: A History by Winifred Gallagher covers the three-century plus long history of delivering the mail in America.
Throughout Gallagher’s text she brought forth evidence to support her argument yet save for helping foster the airline industry the Post Office appeared to have more of a symbiotic relationship with the country. Gallagher’s historical narrative begins early in the 1700s and ends approximately in the early 2010s, through this three-century period the ups and downs of the post in America were chronicles and how it interacted with the establishment of other forms of communication. The fascinating information that was brought forth were the crisis of the 1840s that changed the Post Office for the next century and the “golden age” from 1890-1920. Gallagher’s highlighting of various Postmasters General that headed the department that either innovated services or helped it in its time of need. The book also highlights the main efforts that some have attempted to privatize the post instead of being a public service and in the Afterward Gallagher explains the three scenarios of the now USPS could head in the future.
How the Post Office Created America is a look at the long history of the post in the United States and how it shaped and was shaped by the nation. Winifred Gallagher brought a lot of information to the text to support her argument, while I personally came away with a different conclusion based on the same it was an intriguing read.
Throughout Gallagher’s text she brought forth evidence to support her argument yet save for helping foster the airline industry the Post Office appeared to have more of a symbiotic relationship with the country. Gallagher’s historical narrative begins early in the 1700s and ends approximately in the early 2010s, through this three-century period the ups and downs of the post in America were chronicles and how it interacted with the establishment of other forms of communication. The fascinating information that was brought forth were the crisis of the 1840s that changed the Post Office for the next century and the “golden age” from 1890-1920. Gallagher’s highlighting of various Postmasters General that headed the department that either innovated services or helped it in its time of need. The book also highlights the main efforts that some have attempted to privatize the post instead of being a public service and in the Afterward Gallagher explains the three scenarios of the now USPS could head in the future.
How the Post Office Created America is a look at the long history of the post in the United States and how it shaped and was shaped by the nation. Winifred Gallagher brought a lot of information to the text to support her argument, while I personally came away with a different conclusion based on the same it was an intriguing read.
May 29, 2025
Audio.
Interesting history of the US postal system as a communication technology that was vital in revolution, reform, and the building of the United States with highways, roads, railways, skyways.
Enjoyed this but it is a textbook format of facts , and the chronology hops around a little bit. But informative and pretty interesting to American history dorks.
Some topics:
Andrew Jackson’s Spoils System
The Pendleton Act
Slavery and abolitionist communication
The expansion of American journalism
Censorship
Interesting history of the US postal system as a communication technology that was vital in revolution, reform, and the building of the United States with highways, roads, railways, skyways.
Enjoyed this but it is a textbook format of facts , and the chronology hops around a little bit. But informative and pretty interesting to American history dorks.
Some topics:
Andrew Jackson’s Spoils System
The Pendleton Act
Slavery and abolitionist communication
The expansion of American journalism
Censorship
March 27, 2023
I LOVE THE POST!!!!!!!!!
September 17, 2016
“How the Post Office Created America,” by Winifred Gallagher (Penguin, 2016). No subtitle, thank goodness. Gallagher tells a fascinating story to make an interesting argument: The United States developed as it has because of the postal service. There was virtually no communication among the colonies except by sea and river---no roads at all. The British had a postal service, and began to create one in the Colonies. Benjamin Franklin, as the brilliant postmaster general, began to expand the service. Its primary purpose was to distribute information---newspapers, not letters. The colonies communicated by newspaper, which was carried by the post. As the country grew, the Post Office (a Cabinet office) drove much of the growth. Post offices were established wherever there was a huddle of houses. The postal service kept getting better, more efficient, faster, easier to use. Of course, there was always the problem of revenue---the Post Office was never meant as a business, so it always needed some form of subsidy. But Americans understood that they were creating something new on this continent, and talked to one another about it by mail, encouraging ideas and inventions and education. Americans were tremendously literate, and by the Civil War were writing letters to one another constantly. There was a struggle in California as to whether it would be Union or Confederate, and the postmaster pulled off a trick (which I don’t remember) that kept the state part of the Union. The Pony Express was sort of a stunt that lasted a little more than a year, but of course became legendary. Urban post offices grew grander and grander, their architecture more and more magnificent, because the Post Office was the essence of government and government was bringing good things to people. Gallagher waxes ecstatic about the Post Offices built from the 1890s onward. The Farley Post Office in Manhattan, she says, is a huge, magnificent building. I have to go inside it at least once before it’s remade. The Post Office fought off competitors be providing better service, cheaper, faster. At one time it was possible for someone in the morning, by post, to invite a friend 40 miles away for dinner that evening, and have the friend arrive in time to eat. What has happened today, Gallagher says, is complicated: for one thing, the system works so well, is so cheap and efficient that we take it for granted. For another, the idea that it should be a business like any other, that it has no greater purpose, has dominated Congressional thinking for several decades. Postmasters have tried to keep up with the new technology, but are increasingly starved for funds. The Post Office tried a form of email before there was email---it was effective and popular, but the private competitors lobbied until it was killed. What we have now is a public-private system. FedEx, UPS need the Postal Service---it delivers packages to places they couldn’t afford to serve. The worst problem, of course, is that Congress is forcing the Postal Service (no longer the Post Office) to prepay its forecast pension funds, which immediately put the service into deficit. Gallagher argues that Americans need to remember how important postal service is to our lives, and to the health of the nation---even in the world of the internet. Quick read, fascinating information (she gives plenty of time to the importance of women and African Americans to the Post Office, and vice versa).
http://www.literati.net/authors/winif...
May 13, 2018
I read a lot of history books. The problem with some of them, is that some authors may have opinions on the motives in between the facts. Or, on the other hand, they cannot help (through a possible perceived obligation to educate) emphasizing the social ambiguities of the times. This emphasis will makes an exaggeration of the the effect of social issues on events.
It is not easy to make the sometimes dry facts of history come alive with the documented personal emotions and experiences that create events, without speculation on motives and social issues on the behalf of the writer.
But that is what makes a history book a thriller, a page turner, a work of art, and worth reading. How the Post Office Created America fails in this regard. Without the detail needed of the players lives, the historical characters come off flat, uninspiring, and infused with the author’s perceived motives. They are depicted at doing a, then b, then c in that order, because of 1, and 2, and 3, in that order.
This the second book of my 65 years of reading that I couldn’t finish.
It is not easy to make the sometimes dry facts of history come alive with the documented personal emotions and experiences that create events, without speculation on motives and social issues on the behalf of the writer.
But that is what makes a history book a thriller, a page turner, a work of art, and worth reading. How the Post Office Created America fails in this regard. Without the detail needed of the players lives, the historical characters come off flat, uninspiring, and infused with the author’s perceived motives. They are depicted at doing a, then b, then c in that order, because of 1, and 2, and 3, in that order.
This the second book of my 65 years of reading that I couldn’t finish.
August 21, 2016
An outstanding book. I love themed books that take a concept and travel with it through history. This book does exactly that. The USPS has such core ties to the development of the US as a government, as a nation, as an economy, as a society - I never looked at it that way before. Anyone with an interest in communications is going to love this book. I can't say enough good things about it. I've got a few dozen pages to go and the only thing that's stopping me from being sad about it is that the author has written several other books on different topics. I'll get to most of them!
July 3, 2016
Absolutely fascinating. You cannot understand American democracy, innovation, or progress without understanding this crucial organization. Gallagher has done a fantastic job with this thorough and readable history.
January 3, 2022
OK I really struggled through this incredibly boring book. It had so much potential, but I can only give it one star for the obvious extensive research conducted by the author. But OMG, run-on sentences that went forever, over emphasis on the number of offices and postal miles seeming every other page, just too boring for words. It did pick up a bit around page 90.
(And of course, a major portion of the story is missing, though clearly not the author’s fault. The horrible actions of trump’s patsy, Louis DeJoy, who removed mail boxes, destroyed sorting machines at untold expense, all in a effort to suppress votes. But that’s a whole ‘nother story.)
I skimmed the second half of the book and skipped the past 20 pages. Really tried to read it all, but it’s a list cause.
(And of course, a major portion of the story is missing, though clearly not the author’s fault. The horrible actions of trump’s patsy, Louis DeJoy, who removed mail boxes, destroyed sorting machines at untold expense, all in a effort to suppress votes. But that’s a whole ‘nother story.)
I skimmed the second half of the book and skipped the past 20 pages. Really tried to read it all, but it’s a list cause.
February 25, 2022
I am a huge fan of the post office, so I eagerly read this book. I learned so much that I had no idea about—its authorization in 1792, the way it helped create our roads and towns, the way it contributed to democracy itself. Though the book can be a bit slow at times, getting bogged down in the granular details of various legislation and such, Gallagher sprinkles the book with wonderful vignettes of characters who worked in the postal service, amazing postal calamities in which the mail was still delivered, and esoteric postal factoids sure to delight. Her end of the book examining the possible directions of the post office is thought provoking. This is a great book for people who love American history or even a simple trip to the post office.
February 15, 2017
While I enjoyed the history, the numerous errors were too much of a distraction. The most glaring one that made me go, "WTF?" out loud was when she referred to Raleigh, SOUTH Carolina. Last time I checked, Raleigh was in NORTH Carolina and also happens to be the state capital of NC. There was another place with a sentence with no verb, and many facts that were dubious... not exactly wrong, but not 100% correct, either.
So read it for the cool history of the post and of the building of America, but be wary of the editing errors.
So read it for the cool history of the post and of the building of America, but be wary of the editing errors.
June 19, 2020
3.5 stars, rounding up because I genuinely believe this is incredibly important subject matter and history every American should know. Also there is fodder for at least five television shows and a host of movies from this history alone.
September 17, 2019
So much more interesting than the other book I listened to for NF book group theme : stamps.
A history of the post office from colonial times right up to the 2010s, I got a good sense of how the institution developed within the complicated history of the states and the United States, how a lot of competing forces and interests have shaped its development, from westward expansion and immigration to railways and urbanization, booms and busts. The book ends with what it could be now, beyond what it is, and why it got stuck in the way it did.
It’s easy to take the mail for granted, as relatively simple and steady as it has been, but actually it’s history is fascinating and amazing. And the book shows that the post office could be more and better if the dominant political viewpoint changed. It’s not inevitable that “snail mail” is dead and I this book challenged some of the assumptions I had made (and I’m one of the small town post office customers who actually goes to the post office regularly and knows quite a bit about what kinds of challenges they’ve been dealing with, plus some of the solutions that other countries have instituted, like NZ’s alternate day deliveries - postal customers there only get mail about 3 days a week).
Not a boring book! Thank goodness - after listening to the One Cent Magenta audiobook I didn’t have high hopes for this month’s theme. I didn’t listen to this with an intention to catch every detail. I might’ve gotten bogged down if I’d read this on paper.
A history of the post office from colonial times right up to the 2010s, I got a good sense of how the institution developed within the complicated history of the states and the United States, how a lot of competing forces and interests have shaped its development, from westward expansion and immigration to railways and urbanization, booms and busts. The book ends with what it could be now, beyond what it is, and why it got stuck in the way it did.
It’s easy to take the mail for granted, as relatively simple and steady as it has been, but actually it’s history is fascinating and amazing. And the book shows that the post office could be more and better if the dominant political viewpoint changed. It’s not inevitable that “snail mail” is dead and I this book challenged some of the assumptions I had made (and I’m one of the small town post office customers who actually goes to the post office regularly and knows quite a bit about what kinds of challenges they’ve been dealing with, plus some of the solutions that other countries have instituted, like NZ’s alternate day deliveries - postal customers there only get mail about 3 days a week).
Not a boring book! Thank goodness - after listening to the One Cent Magenta audiobook I didn’t have high hopes for this month’s theme. I didn’t listen to this with an intention to catch every detail. I might’ve gotten bogged down if I’d read this on paper.
May 2, 2020
I’d been meaning to read this for a while, but the current trials of the USPS brought it to the top of my pile. This is an enlightening look at the impact the postal service had on early America, promoting literacy and creating a sense of national unity, and shows how the establishment of routes and post offices made expansion possible and palatable. The author touches on many topics, from the post’s mission, to labor, architecture, technology, and more, and offers a great reminder of how important the postal service remains to us today - and what its future could hold.
September 21, 2020
This was a very interesting book about the beginning of the Post Office, and how it was the cornerstone of information for the United States. The information provided through the Post Office encouraged the growth of the United States. The book was a great look at both the people and the delivery system for mail over the last 300 plus years, as well as what the Post Office will have to do to play a part in the future of America. Reading this book made me realize just how important the Post Office was, and still is, to our country. The author's book was well researched and a very entertaining read. I am a member of APS, and found the book to be very informative! I thoroughly enjoyed it.
August 15, 2020
In this book, Gallagher lays out the history of America’s postal service and its central role in the country’s formation, from westward expansion, to the development of the press and transportation industries, to trust in the concept of representative government. Well-researched and approachable, Gallagher shares a compelling case for the importance of the postal service as a creator and supporter of American culture.
There was a lots of information about the postal service that floored me, like the fact that it existed prior to the Declaration of Independence, subsidized newspapers from the get-go, used to be represented in the president’s cabinet (where the Postmaster General sat until the 1970s), and essentially single-handedly ushered in the age of aviation in the U.S. Also, there were memorable stories of the wild postmasters who sorted mail on moving trains, rode horses over mountain passes in snowstorms, and flew in fabric planes to deliver letters.
My only criticism for this book is around Gallagher’s lack of acknowledgement of the murder and displacement of indigenous people and the resulting power imbalance as the U.S. expanded westward. Early post offices and settlements were often attack by encroached-upon tribes but the way she presented those clashes lacked some nuance for me.
Ultimately, I was convinced my Gallagher’s thesis that the post office played an enormous role in the creation of America and its culture. Unfortunately, in transitioning from the Post Office Department to the USPS in the 70s, it took on an odd structure as a government-owned business rather than a service, which, in my opinion, was a grave mistake and antithetical to the post’s founding values. Time will tell what that impact will be long term and if a course correction can rescue the mail.
This book was published in 2016, but is more relevant today than ever. Given the way that the USPS is being intentionally sabotaged as we speak, I think it’s particularly important to recognize its vital history as a staple of U.S. culture, commerce, and democracy.
There was a lots of information about the postal service that floored me, like the fact that it existed prior to the Declaration of Independence, subsidized newspapers from the get-go, used to be represented in the president’s cabinet (where the Postmaster General sat until the 1970s), and essentially single-handedly ushered in the age of aviation in the U.S. Also, there were memorable stories of the wild postmasters who sorted mail on moving trains, rode horses over mountain passes in snowstorms, and flew in fabric planes to deliver letters.
My only criticism for this book is around Gallagher’s lack of acknowledgement of the murder and displacement of indigenous people and the resulting power imbalance as the U.S. expanded westward. Early post offices and settlements were often attack by encroached-upon tribes but the way she presented those clashes lacked some nuance for me.
Ultimately, I was convinced my Gallagher’s thesis that the post office played an enormous role in the creation of America and its culture. Unfortunately, in transitioning from the Post Office Department to the USPS in the 70s, it took on an odd structure as a government-owned business rather than a service, which, in my opinion, was a grave mistake and antithetical to the post’s founding values. Time will tell what that impact will be long term and if a course correction can rescue the mail.
This book was published in 2016, but is more relevant today than ever. Given the way that the USPS is being intentionally sabotaged as we speak, I think it’s particularly important to recognize its vital history as a staple of U.S. culture, commerce, and democracy.
September 24, 2020
Loved this book. Heard a lot of razzmatazz going on about the post office and wanted to find out the full story. This book is well written and informative at the same time. Had a blast reading it.
February 24, 2023
It's a very dense very detailed history of the post, but I was /enthralled/ the whole time!
March 14, 2024
An interesting history indeed.
September 15, 2021
It’s hard to truly quantify the enormous impact of our national postal system since its birth along with the nation itself. The United States developed into a culture of ideas and innovation because of our ability to affordably communicate with one another. As a democratizing force, the post office has likely done more than any other independent entity to craft the country that we know today. The USPS is still the largest and most affordable letter/parcel carrier I. The entire world. Thankful for this history and the institution that remains today.
February 24, 2019
An interesting history of the Post Office. Helped by the reading of Tavia Gilbert.
Starts at the very beginning and ends just short of the Flat Rate innovation and Amazon boom. I learned more than I thought possible. And was more interested than I expected to be. Helped by the fact my brother has been a Letter Carrier for nearly 30 years. Worth reading, especially listening.
Starts at the very beginning and ends just short of the Flat Rate innovation and Amazon boom. I learned more than I thought possible. And was more interested than I expected to be. Helped by the fact my brother has been a Letter Carrier for nearly 30 years. Worth reading, especially listening.
December 29, 2025
Very well researched and written, lots of random interesting things I didn't know before embedded in there.
January 20, 2023
Best page turner I've read in a while. It steps us through American History and focuses on the role of the Post Office to deliver information.
August 26, 2023
Here's the book we all should have listened to for US History in the 5th grade! Chock full of new (to me) tidbits that will make continue to make connections in my brain in the days ahead. It also reaffirmed my belief that the postal service taking a physical thing that I made and transporting it across the country for 61 cents is akin to magic!
October 18, 2023
Fascinating information we don't always learn unless reading a book like this. Highly recommend to history buffs.
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