The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States. It traces its roots back to 1775 and was officially created in 1792. Today, the USPS employs over 600,000 workers and delivers 155 billion pieces of mail annually across its network of 31,000 post offices and facilities. It is governed by a Board of Governors and regulated by the Postal Regulatory Commission.
2. What is USPS?
an independent agency of the United States government responsible for
providing postal service in the United States
one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States
Constitution.
The U.S. Mail traces its roots to 1775 during the Second Continental Congress,
where Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general.
The Post Office Department was created in 1792 from Franklin's operation
and transformed in 1971 into the U.S. Postal Service .
3. United States Postal Service
Formed:July 1, 1971
Type :Independent
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Employees:625,113
(493,381 career, 131,732 non-career)
Agency executives
Megan Brennan, Postmaster General
Key document
Postal Clause of the United
States Constitution
Website : www.USPS.com
5. Foundation 19th century 20th century
--In the early years of the
North American colonies,
many attempts were made
to initiate a postal service.
--These early attempts were
of small scale and usually
involved a colony.
--Other attempts focused on
a dedicated postal service
between two of the larger
colonies.
--But the available services
remained limited in scope
and disjointed for many
years.
--Before the Revolution,
there was only a trickle of
business or governmental
correspondence between
the colonies.
--The official post office was
created in 1792 as the Post
Office Department.
--The postal system played
a crucial role in national
expansion.
--facilitated expansion by
creating an inexpensive,
fast, convenient
communication system.
--Letters helped to
encourage increased
migration to the West;
helped families stay in
touch ;helped
entrepreneurs in finding
business opportunities;
helped the Army in
expanding control .
--Newsspaper facilitated
coordination among
politicians in different states.
--a major source of federal
patronage.
--The volume of mail
expanded much faster than
--The advent of Rural Free
Delivery in the U.S. in 1896,
and the inauguration of a
domestic parcel post service
was in 1913, increased the
volume of mail shipped
nationwide, and motivated
the development of more
efficient postal transportation
systems.
--Many rural customers took
advantage of inexpensive
Parcel Post rates to order
goods and products from
businesses located
hundreds of miles away in
distant cities for delivery by
mail.
-- The advent of parcel post
also led to the growth of Mail
order businesses that
substantially increased rural
access to modern goods.
6. Current
Operations
The USPS employs about 617,000 workers, making it the third-
largest civilian employer in the United States (the federal
government & Wal-Mart) As of 2014, the USPS operates 31,000
post offices and locations in the U.S., and delivers 155 billion
pieces of mail annually.
The USPS operates one of the largest civilian vehicle fleets in the
world.It is by geography and volume the globe's largest postal
system, delivering 40% of the world's mail.
The Department of Defense and the USPS jointly operate a postal
system to deliver mail for the military( Army Post Office )
7. Govermance
&
Organization
The Board of Governors of the USPS sets policy, procedure, and postal rates for
services rendered, and has a similar role to a corporate board of directors.
The independent Postal Regulatory Commission is also controlled by appointees of
the President confirmed by the Senate. It oversees postal rates and related
concerns, having the authority to approve or reject USPS proposals.
The USPS is an "establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the
United States" as it is controlled by Presidential appointees and the Postmaster
General.
The Postal Service has a Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee and local Postal
Customer Councils, which are advisory and primarily involve business customers.
8. How delivery works
01 Proper Placement 02 Delivery Address
03 Return Address 04 Postage Payment
All mailable articles shipped within the United States must comply with the
USPS Domestic Mail Manual.
Before addressing the mailpiece, one must first comply with the various
mailability standards relating to attributes of the actual mailpiece such as:
minimum/maximum dimensions and weight, acceptable mailing containers,
utilization of various markings, and restrictions relating to various
hazardous and restricted materials.
9. Types of
postal facilities
main post office
station or post office station
branch or post office branch
contract postal unit
community post office
village post office
processing and distribution center
international service center
network distribution center