The Colonial Post in In the American colonies the post office made its first appearance in Massachusetts in 1639, when the General Court of that colony issued the fol lowing: ((It is ordered that notice be given that Richard Fairbanks, his house in Boston, is the place appointed for all letters, which are brought from beyond the seas, or are sent thither, to be left with him, and he is to take care that they are to be delivered or sent according to direc tion: and he is allowed for every letter a penny, and he must answer all messages through his neglect of this In 1657 a postal service was established in Virginia. The colonial law required every planter to provide a messenger to convey the dispatches, as they arrived, to the next plantation, and so on, on pain of forfeit ing a hogshead of tobacco for default. In 1672 the government of New York established a mail to go monthly between New York and Boston.
In 1674 the General Court at Hartford enacted laws to regulate the postal services in the colony. In July 1683 William Penn established a post office in Philadelphia, with weekly mails to various places near the city, and about the same time opened mail routes between Phila delphia and the larger towns of Pennsylvania and Maryland. These represent the several colonial enactments in relation to postal com munication.
Neale's American The beginning of the American post proper dates with the sign ing of a patent 17 Feb. 1691 vesting in Thomas Neale the American post. On 4 April fol lowing, Neale and the Royal Postmaster-General appointed Andrew Hamilton postmaster-gen eral of America. Hamilton undertook the ar duous duty of establishing an intercolonial post. He visited all the colonies, was trusted implicitly and satisfied each colony of his ability and re sources in the new venture. The co-operation of all the colonies except Virginia having been secured, services began on 1 May 1693, and con sisted of a weekly post from Portsmouth, N. H., to Boston, Saybrook, New York, Philadelphia, Maryland and Virginia. Five riders were en gaged to cover each of the five stages twice a week. In winter, service was performed fort nightly. Hamilton died in 1703, and his son, John Hamilton, succeeded him. In 1707 the Crown purchased the good will of the American post office and continued John Hamilton as postmaster-general. From 1707 to the year be fore the Revolution the General Post Office in London controlled the service in America. In 1711 there was a weekly mail operation between Boston and Main, and fortnightly exchange between Boston and New York. In 1717 the mail ran weekly between New York and Wil liamsburg, Va., and 10 years later there was a fortnightly mail between Philadelphia and An napolis, Md. The period of activity in the establishment of postal facilities began when Benjamin Franklin was appointed postmaster at Philadelphia in 1737. At the request of the deputy postmaster-general for the colonies, he assisted him in the regulation and manage ment of the various post offices then established, and when that official died, in 1753, Franklin, in company with William Hunter, was appointed to succeed him. In consequence of some diffi culty with Governor Hutchinson of Massa chusetts, Franklin was removed in 1774.
The United States The Continental Congress met at its second session, in Phila delphia on 26 July 1775, and its members re solved to have a post-office system of their own, and Franklin was elected to carry on the work.
A salary of 1,000 a year was voted him. How ever, Franklin's great diplomatic talents secured him soon afterward a transfer to a wider field, and in 1776 his son-in-law, Richard Bache, was appointed to succeed him. Mr. Bache was suc ceeded in 1782 by Ebenezer Hazard, who had, in 1775, been the ((constitutional postmasters of New York, so termed to distinguish him from the British deputy at that place. The Colonial Congress in 1782 passed an act authorizing the postmaster-general to establish a line of posts between New Hampshire and Georgia, and to such other places as Congress might direct and to appoint the necessary deputies, for whose faithfulness and honesty he was to be held ac Countable: On 8 May 1794 the Congress passed the first law for the proper management of the postal service. In 1799 the postal laws were revised, and flogging substituted for the death penalty for robbing the mails. This law, how ever, was repealed by a subsequent enactment, and imprisonment for a term of years made the penalty. The office of Second Assistant Post master-General was created in Madison's admin istration, and the scale of postage changed. Sin gle letters — that is, containing one piece — were charged from eight to 25 cents, according to distance. The Sunday delivery at post offices began in 1810, bringing forth vigorous remon strances from various religious bodies, and the strife was kept up in Congress and occupied the attention of the Department for 20 years. In 1813 the mails were first conveyed in steamboats from one post town to another. The postal laws of 1816 made a change in the postage, which lasted until 1845. The new scale charged for letters, consisting of one piece of paper, not going over 30 miles, six cents; not over 80 miles, 10 cents; not over 150 miles, 12% cents; and not over 400 miles, 1834 cents ; and for greater distances, 25 cents. The success of the postage stamp in Great Britain led local postmasters in a number of United States cities — notably New York, Baltimore, Saint Louis, Providence and New Haven — to issue stamps. They proved popular, and in 1847 the United States introduced stamps and the 5 and 10-cent denominations, with the faces of Franklin and Washington respectively. Previously the postage was collected entirely in money, its prepayment being in all cases optional. On 1 July 1851 a new series of stamps was adopted, consisting at first of denomina tions of one and three cents, hut afterward of larger amounts. Stamped envelopes were first used in 1853. The registration system was in stitued in 1854, during the administration of President Pierce. The first fee was five cents; the price was raised in 1863 to 20 cents. It is now ten cents. In the administration of Presi dent Lincoln the free delivery service was es tablished. As early as 1825 provision was made by Congress for the delivery of letters by car riers at a cost of two cents each to the persons receiving them. In 1836 this was further amended by allowing newspapers and pamphlets to be delivered at half a cent each. In 1863 Postmaster-General Blair introduced the free delivery system, beginning the practice in cities of 50,000 population. Receiving boxes were also put up and deliveries provided for as often as the public convenience demanded. The postal card was introduced in 1873. For the further development of postal service see POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT and related references.