A Revolution by Mail: A New Postal System for a New Nation explores the creation of the United States Post Office Department from its origins in the colonial era and American Revolution through the early national period. It demonstrates that the British Post Office was a source of controversy during the imperial conflict between the thirteen colonies and their mother country. The revolutionary crisis convinced Americans that their national Post Office had to be a fundamentally different institution than its British predecessor. Whereas the British postal system was designed to generate revenues, the United States Post Office was to serve as a critical political and information network for the new republican nation. By disseminating news and information to the people, the postal system was expected to provide the necessary foundation for an informed republican citizenry and to serve as a pillar of the new republican community. That role was tested during the Alien and Sedition Acts crisis, and ultimately confirmed, thereby solidifying an institution which remains central to America's political culture today.
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