The United States Post Office (USPO) was created in Philadelphia under Benjamin Franklin on Wednesday, July 26, 1775, by decree of the Second Continental Congress. Based on the Postal Clause in Article One of the United States Constitution, empowering Congress "To establish post offices and post roads", it became the Post Office Department (USPOD) in 1792. Until 1971, it was part of the Presidential cabinet and the Postmaster General was the last person in the United States presidential line of succession.
On July 26, 1775, members of the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, agreed ". . . that a Postmaster General be appointed for the United States, who shall hold his office at Philadelphia, and shall be allowed a salary of 1,000 dollars per annum . . . ."
That simple statement signaled the birth of the Post Office Department, the predecessor of the United States Postal Service and the second oldest department or agency of the present United States of America.
The Postal Reorganization Act signed by President Richard Nixon on August 12, 1970, replaced the cabinet-level Post Office Department with the independent United States Postal Service. The Act took effect on July 1, 1971.
The USPS is often mistaken for a government-owned corporation (e.g., Amtrak) because it operates much like a business, but as noted above, it is legally defined as an "independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States", (39 U.S.C. § 201) as it is controlled by Presidential appointees and the Postmaster General. As a quasi-governmental agency, it has many special privileges, including sovereign immunity, eminent domain powers, powers to negotiate postal treaties with foreign nations, and an exclusive legal right to deliver first-class and third-class mail. Indeed, in 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that the USPS was not a government-owned corporation, and therefore could not be sued under the Sherman Antitrust Act.. The U.S. Supreme Court has also upheld the USPS's statutory monopoly on access to letter boxes against a First Amendment freedom of speech challenge; it thus remains illegal in the U.S. for anyone, other than the employees and agents of the USPS, to deliver mailpieces to letter boxes marked "U.S. Mail.
Article I, section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution grants Congress the power to establish post offices and post roads, which has been interpreted as a de facto Congressional monopoly over the delivery of mail. Accordingly, no other system for delivering mail – public or private – can be established, absent Congress's consent.
Until 1912, mail was delivered seven days a week. As the postal service grew in popularity and usage in the 19th century, local religious leaders noticed a decline in Sunday-morning church attendance because of local post offices' doubling as gathering places. These leaders appealed to the government to intervene and close post offices on Sundays.
On July 26, 1775, members of the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, agreed ". . . that a Postmaster General be appointed for the United States, who shall hold his office at Philadelphia, and shall be allowed a salary of 1,000 dollars per annum . . . ."
That simple statement signaled the birth of the Post Office Department, the predecessor of the United States Postal Service and the second oldest department or agency of the present United States of America.
The Postal Reorganization Act signed by President Richard Nixon on August 12, 1970, replaced the cabinet-level Post Office Department with the independent United States Postal Service. The Act took effect on July 1, 1971.
The USPS is often mistaken for a government-owned corporation (e.g., Amtrak) because it operates much like a business, but as noted above, it is legally defined as an "independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States", (39 U.S.C. § 201) as it is controlled by Presidential appointees and the Postmaster General. As a quasi-governmental agency, it has many special privileges, including sovereign immunity, eminent domain powers, powers to negotiate postal treaties with foreign nations, and an exclusive legal right to deliver first-class and third-class mail. Indeed, in 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that the USPS was not a government-owned corporation, and therefore could not be sued under the Sherman Antitrust Act.. The U.S. Supreme Court has also upheld the USPS's statutory monopoly on access to letter boxes against a First Amendment freedom of speech challenge; it thus remains illegal in the U.S. for anyone, other than the employees and agents of the USPS, to deliver mailpieces to letter boxes marked "U.S. Mail.
Article I, section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution grants Congress the power to establish post offices and post roads, which has been interpreted as a de facto Congressional monopoly over the delivery of mail. Accordingly, no other system for delivering mail – public or private – can be established, absent Congress's consent.
Until 1912, mail was delivered seven days a week. As the postal service grew in popularity and usage in the 19th century, local religious leaders noticed a decline in Sunday-morning church attendance because of local post offices' doubling as gathering places. These leaders appealed to the government to intervene and close post offices on Sundays.
Veterans, roughly 20% of today's postal workforce (though once well over 50%) earn extra points on this exam, thus giving them a head start and a job to come home to after military service.
The Postal Service is one of the largest employers of all minorities, led by African-Americans, who make up 21% of workers.
Postal jobs have especially played a key role in black community development. The post office has long been one of the largest employers of African-Americans. Even as they faced discrimination at other jobs, many found work there with college degrees or military service under their belts. By 1970, they had become twice as likely as whites to work for the post office
The Postal Service is the single largest employer of veterans, which make up 130,000, or 22% of its ranks, according to a 2010 report on postal operations. Of those veterans, 49,000 -- nearly a third -- are disabled.
In a memo discussing potential layoffs, the Postal Service proposes giving veterans preference in layoffs. But unions insist veterans' jobs would be at stake.
"Whenever the Postal Service closes a whole plant, as they have said they want to do, all the employees in that plant, including veterans, would be subject to being laid off," said Cliff Guffey, president of the American Postal Workers Union, in a prepared statement.
Layoffs aren't merely controversial, they may just be unconstitutional, according to an independent research arm of Congress.
Existing union contracts with one of seven different unions for post office workers prohibit layoffs of employees with more than six years of service. But the Congressional Research Service said in a July note to lawmakers that if Congress passes a law possibly allowing layoffs of Postal Service workers with labor contracts, those workers could challenge the move in court -- and stand a good chance of winning.
The possibility of future lawsuits hasn't stopped Congress before, but it could bolster opponents of tweaking union contracts to allow layoffs.
On December 20, 2006, the President signed the Postal Act of 2006. In many respects, the law represents the most sweeping legislative change to the postal system since the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970.
The Postal Service is one of the largest employers of all minorities, led by African-Americans, who make up 21% of workers.
Postal jobs have especially played a key role in black community development. The post office has long been one of the largest employers of African-Americans. Even as they faced discrimination at other jobs, many found work there with college degrees or military service under their belts. By 1970, they had become twice as likely as whites to work for the post office
The Postal Service is the single largest employer of veterans, which make up 130,000, or 22% of its ranks, according to a 2010 report on postal operations. Of those veterans, 49,000 -- nearly a third -- are disabled.
In a memo discussing potential layoffs, the Postal Service proposes giving veterans preference in layoffs. But unions insist veterans' jobs would be at stake.
"Whenever the Postal Service closes a whole plant, as they have said they want to do, all the employees in that plant, including veterans, would be subject to being laid off," said Cliff Guffey, president of the American Postal Workers Union, in a prepared statement.
Layoffs aren't merely controversial, they may just be unconstitutional, according to an independent research arm of Congress.
Existing union contracts with one of seven different unions for post office workers prohibit layoffs of employees with more than six years of service. But the Congressional Research Service said in a July note to lawmakers that if Congress passes a law possibly allowing layoffs of Postal Service workers with labor contracts, those workers could challenge the move in court -- and stand a good chance of winning.
The possibility of future lawsuits hasn't stopped Congress before, but it could bolster opponents of tweaking union contracts to allow layoffs.
On December 20, 2006, the President signed the Postal Act of 2006. In many respects, the law represents the most sweeping legislative change to the postal system since the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970.
The First U.S. Postage Stamps Issued 1847
The first stamp issues were authorized by an act of Congress and approved on March 3, 1847.[10] The earliest known use of the Franklin 5c is July 7, 1847, while the earliest known use of the Washington 10c is July 2, 1847. Remaining in postal circulation for only a few years, these issues were declared invalid for Postage on July 1, 1851.
