Blog 7: What I Learned in EOTO

The History of the Postal Service

During our Each One Teach One presentations, I found the topic of the Postal Service very interesting. I was shocked to learn that the first traces of mail can be dated back to 2000 BC in Ancient Egypt. This is very interesting because I tend to think of this as a modern day innovation, but it is, in fact, ancient technology. From there, mail has been in use but it was not until later that a postal service was officially established. 

The first comprehensive postal system was established in France in 1477. From there, postal services expanded to Britain. In America, Ben Franklin helped to develop the United States Postal Service deriving inspiration from the French and British systems. The United States Postal System was officially established on July 26, 1775 during the Second Continental Congress. 

Establishing a comprehensive postal service has been overwhelmingly beneficial for communication in the world. Through the Civil War, the use of our postal system was extremely important in aiding war efforts. The use of a trans-continental postal service was even more beneficial in American efforts during World War I and World War II. Having this private method of communication is so advantageous for an army, however, it is possible for mail to be intercepted. This has led to even more advancements in the field of the postal service to accommodate for these detriments. 

Unfortunately, just like any form of technology, the Postal System can be abused. People have used the Postal System to mail weapons, traffic drugs, and even plant bombs. These added dangers have led to advancements in mail screening and other precautions to avoid having this system be abused. 

As technology has advanced so greatly, we are seeing a decline in the usage of the postal service, however, considering its history and its current advantages, I do not believe we will find ourselves living in a world where the postal service is completely obsolete.