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How the Post Office Created America: A History"'The history of its Post Office is nothing less than the story of America, ' Ms. Gallagher's opening sentence declares, and in this lively book she makes the case well." Wall Street Journal A masterful history of a long underappreciated institution, How the Post Office Created America examines the surprising role of the postal service in our nation's political, social, economic, and physical development. The founders established the post office
"'The history of its Post Office is nothing less than the story of America, ' Ms. Gallagher's opening sentence declares, and in this lively book she makes the case well."--Wall Street Journal A masterful history of a long underappreciated institution, How the Post Office Created America examines the surprising role of the postal service in our nation's political, social, economic, and physical development. The founders established the post office before they had even signed the Declaration of Independence, and for a very long time, it was the U.S. government's largest and most important endeavor--indeed, it was the government for most citizens. This was no conventional mail network but the central nervous system of the new body politic, designed to bind thirteen quarrelsome colonies into the United States by delivering news about public affairs to every citizen--a radical idea that appalled Europe's great powers. America's uniquely democratic post powerfully shaped its lively, argumentative culture of uncensored ideas and opinions and made it the world's information and communications superpower with astonishing speed. Winifred Gallagher presents the history of the post office as America's own story, told from a fresh perspective over more than two centuries. The mandate to deliver the mail--then "the media"--imposed the federal footprint on vast, often contested parts of the continent and transformed a wilderness into a social landscape of post roads and villages centered on post offices. The post was the catalyst of the nation's transportation grid, from the stagecoach lines to the airlines, and the lifeline of the great migration from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It enabled America to shift from an agrarian to an industrial economy and to develop the publishing industry, the consumer culture, and the political party system. Still one of the country's two major civilian employers, the post was the first to hire women, African Americans, and other minorities for positions in public life. Starved by two world wars and the Great Depression, confronted with the country's increasingly anti-institutional mind-set, and struggling with its doubled mail volume, the post stumbled badly in the turbulent 1960s. Distracted by the ensuing modernization of its traditional services, however, it failed to transition from paper mail to email, which prescient observers saw as its logical next step. Now the post office is at a crossroads. Before deciding its future, Americans should understand what this grand yet overlooked institution has accomplished since 1775 and consider what it should and could contribute in the twenty-first century. Gallagher argues that now, more than ever before, the imperiled post office deserves this effort, because just as the founders anticipated, it created forward-looking, communication-oriented, idea-driven America.Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 07/04/2017
ISBN: 9780143130062
Pages: 336
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.40w x 0.80d
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★★★★★ 5
Surprisingly awesome. Seriously. And I hate buying clothes.
Size: X-Large, Color: Black
I'm 6'1", 215 with large shoulders and chest. "Athletic dad-bod." Nothing fits me perfectly. I'm constantly stuck between an XL and XXL shirt, and a 37x31 pant---so literally nothing fits me and if you're a big guy, we all know that most polo shirts look like crap and fit like garbage bags.
The shiny tone first made me skeptical. I wasn't even going to take it out of the package. But for $19, I said screw it.
It fits really well. Not slim fit, but not "Ralph Lauren trash bag regular fit." It's soft like textured silk. It looks good and is the perfect length if you're 6'-6'3.
And no--I know your first thought with the texture and shine is "does it look like a cheesy club shirt on a NJ Italian guy?" Shockingly, no...it's actually really nice (yeah--I had the same thought).
It's stretchy. It's relatively form fitting, and it's cool to the touch.
I immediately bought 3 more.
For $19--just buy it. You won't regret it.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2025
★★★★★ 5
Good quality
Size: Small, Color: Teal 02
This Tshirt is comfortable and value to money. No need to IRON. Material quality I liked it.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2026
★★★★★ 4
Good shirt
Size: Medium, Color: Teal 02
Love the color and the design of the shirt. The small threads it’s made out of starting to come loose though. Now when look down at chest and stomach area, there are 15+ little strings that pop out of the shirt.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Awesome shirt!
Size: Medium, Color: Blue, Size: Medium, Color: Blue
This is a nice shirt! Let me start by saying I am 6 foot 2, 195pounds with about a 40 inch chest, 42 inches on a good day! Ha ha. I ordered a medium because I wanted an athletic fit. The medium fits just right. For those wanting a normal, roomier fit I would recommend the large for my size. I’ll get a lot of compliments when I wear this shirt. What I like about it is that it is wrinkle free and looks great, I would not wear it on a super hot day with a snug fit. I do live in Florida, so that makes a difference. I also ordered the black one, both the blue and the black look very good for dress /casual. It’s polyester so it’s not super soft, which is OK. That also means it does not shrink.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2025
★★★★★ 3
Nice shirt but seems to be confusion over the color/pattern.
Size: Medium, Color: Teal 02
Nice shirt. Looks sharp and feels comfy. Lightweight and breathable. Definitely an "upscale" polo that looks like it costs more than it does - so very happy with the value. Fits as expected for the size. The only issue is that I ordered a color and style called Teal-02 and they sent me Navy-01. The color and pattern is different. It's not bad, just not what I ordered. I requested a resend of the Teal...and got the same Navy color again. Annoying.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2026