How The Post Office Created America: A History

(Paperback)

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The Post Office, Winifred Gallagher argues, has been not just a witness to, but a foundational influence on, much of the history of the USA, particularly for women and African-Americans who participated in the nation's formation via the Post Office in pivotal ways. How the Post Office Created America tells this story, tracing the role of a unique institution and its leaders. Taking in all the major events in American history, from the Declaration of Independence to the Civil War to the advent of the Internet, Gallagher tells a vitally important story.

Reviews

[How the Post Office Created Americais] an ode to a little-heralded but flagship government enterprise.[Gallagher] reminds us that the post office forged a communications revolution just as far-reaching as the later telegraph and internet revolutions.The New York Times Book Review

Gallagher deliversfascinating anecdotes. Engaging, well-written.Washington Post

Impressively researchedGallagher connects the transformations of the Post Office with broader economic, socio-cultural, and political changes affecting the country.The Nation

Fascinating.This readable book relays the complicated history of an institution that is thoroughly integrated into American life.Library Journal

Invigorating.O, The Oprah Magazine

The history of its Post Office is nothing less than the story of America, Ms. Gallaghers opening sentence declares, and in this lively book she makes the case well.Wall Street Journal

Gallagher makes a strong case for [the post offices] historical importance in this brisk history.Publishers Weekly

Long the most important activity of the federal government, the Post Office knit together America's geographically spread out democracy. Winifred Gallagher fluently illuminates not only the fascinating, picturesque past, but also the various possible futures of the American postal service. Daniel Walker Howe, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848

Winifred Gallagher's How the Post Office Created Americais a book of amazing revelations. Gallagher writes with great wisdom and verve. Highly recommended. Douglas Brinkley, author of Rightful Heritage:Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America

Winifred Gallagher makes a big claim in the first sentence of her new bookThe history of the Post Office is nothing less than the story of America. And then, in a sweeping tour of American and postal history from the colonial period to the present, she makes us all believers. Highly recommended for students, scholars, and those who care about this nations past.David Nasaw, author of The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy and Andrew Carnegie

At first glance, a book on the history of the post office seems an unpromising prospect for a page-turner. But I found it so fascinating that I could hardly put it down.This book is a winner, based on deep knowledge and research that will reach a broad audience with a story that will enhance their appreciation and understanding of the post office and its contribution to American life.James McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of Tried by War and Embattled Rebel

Author Bio

Winifred Gallagher's books include Rapt- Attention and the Focused Life (a New York Times bestseller), New- Understanding Our Need for Novelty and Change, House Thinking, Just the Way You Are (a New York Times Notable Book), and The Power of Place.She has written for numerous publications, including theAtlantic, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times. She lives in New York City and Dubois, Wyoming. From the Hardcover edition.