On July 26, 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted to create a postal system in the Colonies and selected Benjamin Franklin to lead it.
“Establishment of the post office was a bold move — and it was yet another thumb in the eye of the British King,” author and scholar Tara Ross wrote in a 2021 blog post.
It was imperative to the revolutionary cause that messages between those fighting for independence from the Crown were not handled by the Crown, so it made sense for the Colonies to create their own system.
Franklin had been both postmaster of Philadelphia and joint postmaster general for the Crown, and his work as a former newspaper printer —printing and postal services worked hand in glove in the 18th century — was also an asset.
Just one year prior, Franklin had been dismissed from his job as joint postmaster general, a position he held since 1753, for being deemed “too much of an American,” in his words.
Franklin’s short but transformative tenure ended when he moved on to his next adventure, as ambassador to France. On Nov. 7, 1776, his son-in-law Richard Bache took over the postal reins.
