Postal Service, United States, is an independent establishment within the executive branch of the United States government. It provides mail services, including pickup and delivery, and sells postage stamps and postal money orders. The Postal Service is one of the world’s largest organizations, with tens of thousands of post offices and hundreds of thousands of employees. The Postal Service began operating in 1971, when it replaced the United States Post Office Department. The Postal Service has headquarters in Washington, D.C. Its website at http://www.usps.com presents information on its activities.
The central tasks of all postal administrations are the collection, sorting, and delivery of mail. For descriptions of these processes, see Postal services (How mail is delivered) . This article focuses on the procedures, services, and history specific to the United States Postal Service.
Classes of mail
The Postal Service divides all domestic mail into five classes. These classes are (1) Express Mail® service, (2) First-Class Mail® service, (3) periodicals, (4) standard mail, and (5) package services. Each class of mail has its own rate structure. The Postal Service sorts mail using ZIP Codes. ZIP Codes are sets of numbers that signify particular zones, or geographical areas. The name stands for _Z_one _I_mprovement _P_lan.
Express Mail service
travels faster than any other class of mail. This service guarantees next-day delivery to specified locations throughout the country. If the mail does not reach its destination by the next day, the Postal Service refunds the cost of the postage to the sender.
First-Class Mail service
includes letters, postal cards, and other material that is at least partly written. First-Class Mail service costs more and travels faster than any other class of mail except Express Mail service. Priority Mail® service is First-Class Mail service for items weighing more than 13 ounces (0.37 kilogram). Mailers also have the option to send items weighing less than that amount by Priority Mail. In most cases, it is delivered in two days.
Periodicals
is a class of mail consisting of magazines, newspapers, and other publications formed of printed sheets. These are items issued at least four times a year at regular, specified intervals from a known office of publication. Periodicals usually must have a list of subscribers or a list of requests.
Standard mail
consists of all mail items weighing less than 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) that are not included in First-Class Mail service. Such mail includes newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and bulletins that do not meet the requirements for the periodicals class, as well as advertising circulars, catalogs, and lightweight merchandise samples.
Package services
involve the shipment of all mail weighing 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) or more that is not considered First-Class Mail or periodicals. The Postal Service also offers special rates to people who send books, other bound printed matter, and library materials by mail. Package mail that does not qualify for such special rates is called Parcel Post® service.
Post office services
In addition to providing the different classes of mail service, the Postal Service has many other functions. It sells materials and supplies, and it offers a variety of specific mail options.
Stamps and other mailing materials.
Stamps are placed on packages and letters as proof that the sender has paid for mailing the item. At times, the Postal Service issues special commemorative stamps. Some commemoratives honor distinguished people who have died. Others pay tribute to historic events, places of scenic beauty, or outstanding organizations.
Post offices also sell stamped envelopes, postal cards, and air letters. Stamped envelopes and postal cards come with postage already printed on them. Postal cards differ from post cards, which are made by private companies and carry no postage. Air letters are lightweight sheets of paper that can be folded to form envelopes.
Special handling
is a service that enables customers to send standard mail and packages faster than normal. Mailers must pay an extra fee for this service, which provides preferential treatment in sending and transportation, but not in delivery.
Extra protection.
Some services provide special protection for the items postal customers send through the mail. Customers must pay an extra fee for these services, which include insurance, registered mail, and certified mail. Insurance pays, up to a certain amount, the value of items lost or damaged in the mail. Registered mail provides protection for irreplaceable items or for particularly valuable items. Certified mail is a special service that provides the sender with a receipt at the time of mailing. Return receipts, issued at the time of delivery, are available for additional fees.
Electronic services.
The Postal Service has introduced several programs to take advantage of computer and Internet technology. The Postal Service allows users to create and print labels and postage online. The Postal Service also partners with companies to allow online users to create and mail postcards, greeting cards, and direct-mail advertisements.
Other services.
Post offices sell postal money orders, which enable customers to transmit money for a fee. The Postal Service refunds the value of postal money orders that are lost or stolen in the mail. In addition, the Postal Service rents post office boxes, which stand in post office lobbies and at various off-site locations. All mail addressed to a box number stays in the box until the boxholder collects it.
Other services offered by post offices include COD service and metered postage. COD, which stands for collect on delivery or cash on delivery, enables a person to order merchandise by mail and pay for it when it arrives. Postage meters are devices that companies use in their offices to print the postage and postmark directly on envelopes. Companies lease the meters from an authorized manufacturer, then obtain a permit from the Postal Service to use them.
The Postal Service also publishes postal manuals and the National Five-Digit ZIP Code and Post Office Directory.
Organization
An 11-member Board of Governors directs the Postal Service. Nine of the members are appointed by the president of the United States, with the advice and consent of the Senate. These members appoint the postmaster general, who becomes the 10th member of the board and serves as the chief executive officer of the Postal Service. These 10 members, in turn, appoint the deputy postmaster general, who becomes the 11th board member and the postmaster general’s chief assistant. The postmaster general and the deputy are responsible for day-to-day operations.
The executive branch of the U.S. government also has an independent five-member Postal Rate Commission. The members are appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. They recommend postal rates and classifications for adoption by the Board of Governors.
History of postal services in the United States
Colonial times.
The first known official postal system in the American Colonies appeared in 1639 in Boston. In most places, taverns or inns served as post offices. In 1692, King William III of England gave Thomas Neale, a colonial official, the right to provide mailing services in the colonies. Neale’s deputy, Andrew Hamilton, created the colonies’ first national postal system. In 1707, the British government took control of the system. Shortly afterward, it greatly increased postal rates.
Benjamin Franklin became a deputy postmaster general for the American Colonies in 1753. He improved the frequency and reliability of mail delivery. However, rates remained high. The American colonists fiercely opposed the high rates, which they considered an unfair tax. As a result, many of the colonists avoided using the royal postal system and sent letters by private, illegal carriers. See Franklin, Benjamin (Civic leader) .
After the Revolutionary War in America began in 1775, the Second Continental Congress named Franklin the first postmaster general of the United States. The nation won its war for independence in 1783. In 1789, Congress gave the federal government the sole power to provide mailing services. Samuel Osgood became the first postmaster general to serve under the new Constitution.
During the 1800’s and early 1900’s,
mailing services grew rapidly in the United States. Congress issued the first postage stamps in 1847 and began to require the prepayment of postage in 1855.
The pony express was one of the most colorful episodes in American postal history. In 1860 and 1861, daring horseback riders carried mail from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, in about 10 days. In 1861, the transcontinental telegraph eliminated the need for the pony express. See Pony express .
In 1863, the U.S. Post Office Department established three classes of mail and began to provide free delivery in many cities. Other services that were introduced in the mid-1800’s and late 1800’s included postal money orders, special delivery, and postal cards. In 1913, the Post Office introduced parcel post service, insured mail, and COD service. In 1943, the department divided major cities into numbered postal zones.
Technological advancements.
The development of modern means of transportation improved the speed and reliability of mail delivery. In 1864, the Post Office officially established the railway post office. In 1911, an American pilot named Earle Ovington made the first official airmail flight in the United States. In 1918, airplanes began to carry mail regularly. Since 1975, nearly all First-Class Mail service going more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) has traveled by air.
In the 1960’s, the department began to use high-speed equipment to perform many of the tasks previously done by hand. The 1963 introduction of ZIP Codes allowed the Post Office to sort large volumes of mail mechanically. Additional advancements further modernized the postal system’s operations and increased the speed of mail processing. See ZIP Code .
Establishment of the Postal Service.
Until 1970, the Post Office followed a policy of providing low-cost mail service to customers regardless of what it cost the department. As a result, the department’s expenses usually exceeded its earnings. Each year, Congress gave the Post Office money to make up for the losses.
On Aug. 12, 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed a bill to replace the Post Office Department with the new United States Postal Service. The bill also removed the postmaster general from the Cabinet. The Postal Service began operating on July 1, 1971. Since 1983, the agency has become essentially self-supporting.
Since the 1970’s, the Postal Service has developed a variety of programs to automate mail processing and provide better service. These developments have included new delivery standards and categories, discounts for presorted mail, expanded ZIP Codes with additional digits, the increased use of bar codes, and additional electronic mail options.
