Transportation and Communication

By Jake West and John Mackowiak

Communication

The Postal System

In the early colonial years, America had no organized postal service, so people had to rely on friends, merchants and Native Americans to deliver their mail for them. Back then, mail was still delivered by hand by couriers on horses, so it took a while for a person to receive their mail. By the late 1600’s, the North had a small, unorganized system, while the South still depended on slaves running from plantation to plantation.

In 1691, Thomas Neale received a 21-year grant from the British for a North American postal service. He never actually visited America, but he appointed Andrew Hamilton, governor of NJ, as deputy postmaster. In 1707, the British bought back the rights

One of the most influential people in the creation of an American postal system was Benjamin Franklin. Who was appointed postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737. He reorganized the entire system, placed milestones along major roads, and created shorter and faster routes. With his help, post roads ran from Maine to Florida and from New York to Canada by 1760.

NewspapersThe first newspaper in America, Publick

Occurrences, was published in 1690 in Boston. In 1775, about a dozen papers were in circulation, and by 1814 that number had increased to 346.

In the 1830’s, advances in printing technology allowed people to make newspapers to be sold for just a cent a copy. Before this time, newspapers were only for the wealthy. A year’s subscription, which had to be paid in full, cost as much a full week’s pay for a laborer. Since newspapers were more accessible, Americans could be more updated on what was going on in the world and around the country.

The TelegraphInvented by Samuel Morse in 1844, the telegraph

provided the first instance of instant long-distance communication in the world. Instead of having to wait days, sometimes weeks for replies to letters, people could now communicate instantaneously. This invention helped connect the United States and enabled workers like farmers to produce food for foreign markets.

“ Now, instant long-distance communication became a practical reality. The commercial application of Morse’s invention followed quickly. American farmers and planters – and most farmers then earned a living through agriculture – increasing produced food and fiber for distant markets” (Howe 1)

Citations- " http://inventors.about.com/library/inventor

s/blmailus1.htm .” About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov 2010.

- "http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/telegraph.htm. ." About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov 2010.

- Barber, Phil. "http://www.historicpages.com/nprhist.htm ." N.p., 07 Mar 2010. Web. 10 Nov 2010.

- Howe, Daniel Walker. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848. Oxford University Press, 2007.