Through much of the colonial period, most
of the people residing in America identified themselves as English.
Although they were eager for news from England, such information
was rare. A letter from a relative or the return of a sailor or
traveler would bring a report, but even then the "news"
was likely to be less than fresh since the voyage from the mother
country generally took at least three months (and during the winter
months could not be made at all). A few members of the elite were
willing to pay the expense of a subscription to an English newspaper
or journal, and a few owners of taverns used their English publications
as an enticement to prospective customers. Pay for your food and
drink and get the news for free
Cities and towns with active ports could get
their news, whether in person, by mail, or in print via ship.
For a broader dissemination of information, you needed an effective
system of transportation and communication. This matter weighed
heavily on the mind of Benjamin Franklin, who was busy attempting
to establish a Society of Useful Knowledge in the hopes of bridging
the gaps between the colonies by improving the circulation of
information.
The first Drudgery of Settling new
Colonies, which confines the Attention of People to
mere Necessaries, is now pretty well over; and there
are many in every Province in Circumstances that set
them at Ease, and afford Leisure to cultivate the finer
Arts, and improve the common Stock of Knowledge. To
such of these who are Men of Speculation, many Hints
must from time to time arise, many Observa-tions occur,
which if well-examined, pursued and improved, might
produce Discoveries to the Advantage of some or all
of the_British_ Plantations, or to the Benefit of Mankind
in general.
But . .. from the Extent of the
Country such Persons are widely separated, and seldom
can see and converse or be acquainted with each other,
so that many useful Particulars remain uncommunicated,
die with the Discoverers, and are lost to Mankind .
. . .
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Franklin therefore proposed that "One
Society be formed of Virtuosi or ingenious Men residing in the
colonies," and thatere may job would be "to maintain
a constant corespondence." More specifically, they were to
meet once a Month, or oftner, at their own Expence,
to communicate to each other their Observations, Experiments,
_&c._ to receive, read and consider such Letters,
Communications, or Queries as shall be sent from distant
Members; to direct the Dispersing of Copies of such
Communications as are valuable, to other distant Members,
in order to procure their Sentiments thereupon, _&c._
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It seems quite clear that Franklin was hoping
to improve the intellectual -- and consequently practical -- conditions
of America and to initiate a conversation among some of the leading
figures of each colony so that they could become partners in a
community of thought. Critical to the success of this plan, however,
was the ability to convey letters to and from Philadelphia in
a regular fashion. For this purpose, Franklin placed his hopes
on the postal system, and hoped "That by Permission of the
Postmaster-General, such Communications [would] pass between the
Secretary of the Society and the Members, Postage-free."
The Establishment of the American
Postal System
In 1710, the English Parliament passed the
Post Office Act that called for the creation of a postal system
in the American colonies. The network was designed to be controlled
by the postmaster general of London with the aid of a deputy in
New York City. This arrangement was altered in 1753 and Benjamin
Franklin from Philadelphia and William Hunter of Virgnia were
appointed to serve jointly as postmasters general for the thirteen
colonies.
The excerpt below from "Postal Services
in the Colonies, 1592-1775," an article that appeared in
March 1891 in The Southern Philatelist 2
The first Parliamentary Act for the establishment of a
postoffice in the English American Colonies was passed
in April, 1692, when a royal patent was granted to Thomas
Neale for the purpose. He was to transport letters and
packets 'at such rates as the planters should agree to
give.'
Rates of postage were accordingly
fixed and authorized, and measures were taken to establish
a postoffice in each town in Virginia, when Hale [?] began
his operations. Massachusetts and other Colonies soon
passed postal laws, and a very imperfect postoffice system
was established. Neale's patent expired in 1710, when
Parliament extended the English postal system to the Colonies.
The chief office was established in New York, where letters
were conveyed by regular packets across the Atlantic.
A line of postoffices was soon after
established on Neale's old routes, north to the present
City of Portsmouth, N.H., and south to Philadelphia, and
irregularly extended a few years later, to Williamsburg,
Va. The post left for the South as often as letters enough
were deposited to pay the expense. The rates were fixed,
and the post-rider had certain privileges to travel. Finally
an irregular postal communication was established with
Charleston.
In 1753 Dr. Franklin was appointed
Deputy Postmaster-General for the Colonies. It was a lucrative
office, and he held it until 1774, when he was dismissed
because of his active sympathy with the colonists in their
quarrel with the Ministry. For a while the colonial postal
system was in confusion. William Goddard, a printer, went
from colony to colony, making efforts to establish a 'Constitutional
Postoffice,' in opposition to the 'Royal Mail.'
When, in 1775, almost every vestige
of royal power was swept from the Colonies, the Continental
Congress appointed (July 26) Dr. Franklin Postmaster-General.
In the autumn of 1776, when Independence had been declared,
and Franklin sailed for France, the whole number of postoffices
in the United States was 75; length of post routes, 1,875
miles; revenue for about fifteen months, $27,985; annual
expenditures, $32,142. (pp. 87-88)
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Resources on Other Sites:
Excerpt from"Postal Services
in the Colonies, 1592-1775," The Southern Philatelist 2,
no. 6 (March 1891): 87-8.
Starting
the System, an exhibit that is part of a larger gallery at
the Smithsonian
National Postal Museum called Binding
the Nation, devoted to the early history of mail service from
pre-Revolutionary America through the end of the 19th century.
Particularly relevant to the study of the 1770's is The
Postal Service in Colonial America.
The
Postal Service in Colonial America: A Bibliography of Material
in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries National Postal Museum
Branch.
Means
of Travel, Mails, Newspapers at Colonial
America from Exploration through Revolution, an American Local
History Network Topic
America
Writes Home: Pre-1920 Letters
See Also:
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