The United States Postal Service

The History of the USPS and its Situation Today

by Shrawani Pradhan

Edited by Taruni Manam, Layout by Claire Sakurauchi

The United States Postal Service has a long and rich history. During colonial times, mail was typically delivered by friends, merchants, and Native Americans. The power struggle between the colonies and the British government stirred up tensions in the postal service. The Boston riots in 1774 prompted the creation of the Continental Congress, which appointed Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general in charge of the new, what was then called the Post Office Department in 1775.

The system expanded greatly over the past 245 years and played a huge part in uniting the country by making long-distance communication more accessible. This helped hundreds of private businesses grow and flourish. They gave contracts to stagecoach lines, making delivery faster, and as time passed, they began to give contracts to steamboats, trains, and now, aircrafts. Experimentation with home delivery began in 1863 and parcel delivery was available in 1913.

The Post Office Department created countless job opportunities for Americans. The mail carriers have always been extremely dedicated to their job. At the time, however, they weren’t paid the salary they deserved. The Post Office Department was not receiving enough funds. As a result, several protests and strikes took place. To deal with the deficit and improve management, the U.S Congress approved the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970. The Post Office Department was now a government owned company. The United States Postal Service expected to build revenue in order to pay for itself.

The Post Office Department used to be funded by taxpayers, but today, USPS receives no money from tax and relies on the sale of its postages, products, and deliveries.

Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, mail carriers have delivered (and continue to deliver) mail and packages with the utmost precaution. Yet this very pandemic is what put the mail delivery service in a predicament.

In light of the 2020 presidential elections this November, millions of Americans are considering sending in their voting ballots via mail this year due to the circumstances. However, there is a political divide surrounding voting through mail. Republicans worry that mail-in ballots would increase the rate of voter fraud and missing ballots; there are concerns that the Democratic party would receive an unfair advantage.

The Democratic party argues that voting by mail would help decrease the risk of people getting sick. Studies even show that mail-in voting would increase voter turnout. People will have time to stay informed and keep up with any events regarding the two opposing parties, and make an educated decision.

Despite President Trump’s opposition, many states will make mail-in ballots more accessible to voters. According to the New York Times, 27 states and Washington D.C have increased accessibility to mail ballots for the general election. Mail-in voting has been deemed as the safest option during this global health crisis.

The United States Postal service has kept Americans connected for over 200 years, and this year, it will play a major role in upholding democracy. We can only wait and watch as the service that overcame many challenges and crises continues to do so.

Resources

Holmes K, and Cohen M. August 21, 2020. The Postal Service controversy, explained. New York City, New York, U.S: WarnerMedia.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/21/politics/usps-funding-controversy-explained/index.html Love J, Stevens M, and Gamio L. August 14, 2020. Where Americans Can Vote by Mail in the 2020 Elections. New York City, New York, U.S: © 2020 The New York Times Company https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/11/us/politics/vote-by-mail-us-states.html

Brix A.C. July 6, 1999. Postal Systems. Chicago, Illinois, U.S: Encyclopædia Britannica https://www.britannica.com/topic/postal-system/National-postal-systems#ref367114 Upholt B. May 18, 2020. The tumultuous history of the U.S. Postal Service—and its constant fight for survival. Washington D.C, U.S: © 2015-2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/05/tumultuous-history-united-states-postal-service-con stant-fight-survival/#close

Obringer L.A. 26 October 2007. How the U.S Postal Service Works. Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.: © 2020 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company. tps://people.howstuffworks.com/usps3.htm\

Phillips A. May 20, 2020. Examining the arguments against voting by mail: Does it really lead to fraud or benefit only Democrats? Washington D.C, U.S: © 1996-2020 The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/20/what-are-arguments-against-voting-by-mail/

Top Thirteen Things You Should Know About The U.S. Postal Service. Washington D.C, U.S: © 2016-2020 United States Postal Service. https://facts.usps.com/top-facts/#nav