This Independence Day — Saturday, July 4 — is the 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth. It will be observed as a federal holiday on Friday, July 3.
The founding of the United States and its postal system were closely linked. It was the need for secure communications during the Revolutionary War that prompted the Second Continental Congress to establish a postal network, which it did in 1775.
Benjamin Franklin was chosen as the system’s first postmaster general. He had served as joint postmaster general of British North America for decades but was dismissed by the Crown the previous year for being deemed too sympathetic to the Colonies.
The Crown’s loss was the Colonies’ gain, as Franklin’s deep understanding of the nascent country’s geography and transportation networks was crucial to the Revolutionary effort. That knowledge — and his innovative approach to business — laid the foundation for today’s organization.
The Postal Service has celebrated its own 250th anniversary since last July and now turns its attention to the U.S. semiquincentennial, releasing several new stamps — Figures of the American Revolution, Treasures of the Revolutionary Era and two stamps highlighting Boston’s role in the war — to mark the occasion.
And on July 4 itself, USPS will hold a first-day-of-issue ceremony for its Declaration of Independence stamp in Philadelphia.
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