The Postal Age Alexandra Bacallao

The Postal Age

Summary:

• Although the physical Post Office building was considered to be the principle embodiment of the federal government, sending and receiving mail was not a widely spread concept. Throughout the first third of the 19^th century, most Americans neither exchanged mail nor organized their daily lives around the expectation of post. For most Americans, receiving a letter was considered to be a special occasion.
• Before 1845, sending and receiving letters was considered to be a rich man’s affair. Because of high postage costs, many were unable to afford sending a letter. The price for the postage was assessed based on distance and the number of sheets enclosed.
• During the 1840s and 1850s, mail was redefined as a popular network. Cheap, standardized, prepaid letter postage became widely available around the country and people began to integrate everyday visits to the Post Office

Comment: I thought it was interesting to see that sending and receiving wasn’t always as wildly popular as it is now. Obviously I knew that the mail system in place today would definitely be different than the one in the 19^th century, but it was interesting to learn that mail did not really catch on until late in the century.

Question: Why were stamps so popular in the early days? What kinds of postal materials became popular after the introduction of the earliest stamps in 1845?