Postal Age - 1081 Words

Book Review: The Postal Age Henkin, David M., The Postal Age. Chicago: Chicago Press, 2006. â€Å"Many of us may not realize that what we now call snail mail was once just as revolutionary as e-mail and text messages are today.† Today’s generation may not be quite aware of the long journey Americans have traveled from the Postal Age up to what we now call the Information Age. As an examination of the rise of the American postal system in the middle decades of the 19th century, David M Henkin’s, The Postal Age offers up a fascinating blend of intellectual and thematic history. In his book, Henkin highlights new practices and new expectations as ordinary Americans swiftly turned something novel into something normal-into habit, into culture.†¦show more content†¦Due to its lower cost compared to letters, senders would mail newspapers with disguise through concealments. By making certain marks or drawing pictures in the margins they would convey basic information, as their form of coding. Once the postal bureaucracy became aware of this practice, Congress passed a postal price reduction in 1845 that cut the price of letters. Thankfully, Henkin skimmed through much of the political legislation or campaigns behind critical postal reforms. Personally I did not care enough to want to know about the intricate background history of every postal age milestone. I am convinced that a plethora of those references would derail the books flow and progress. Henkin also discusses the growing transitory movements during the middle of the century, and in particular how letters and familial correspondence played a role in morally anchoring men. When one was away from home, letters from loved ones had the power to secure, support and protect them from sin and harm. It was a channel by which one would be remembered of the responsibilities, obligations, and duties they left behind. Increased mobility enhanced the appeal, use, and economic practicality of a medium that would be redefined in the United States around the desire of ordinary people to communicate with those who lived elsewhere. The book distinctly mentions the men who had to migrate during theShow MoreRelatedHow The Email Disrupted Snail Mail1587 Words   |  7 Pageswhat exactly mail and email is. The dictionary describes mail as, â€Å"letters, packages, etc., that are sent or delivered by means of the postal system.(Dictionary.com)† It is documented that the first known piece of mail was delivered in the year 255 BC, this artifact was found in Egypt. Although during times even earlier than this it is a common held belief that postal services were formed to serve the kings and rulers of their time to communicate with each other. As time and society evolved, religiousRead MoreLaws Affecting The Agency Of The United States Postal Service1485 Words   |  6 PagesLaws Affecting The Agency When it comes to The United States Postal Service, I did not think they would have many court cases, especially dealing with diversity and mistreatment in the workplace. During my research, however, I was proven wrong. The Postal Service has had quite a few court cases, while many of them relate to ethical and discriminatory issues. Individuals have felt that the Postal Service sometimes judge applicants or workers by their lifestyle or ethnicity. This in turn shows badRead MoreHuman Capital Management – Hrm 5311064 Words   |  5 Pages Labor Laws and Unions Michelle Mackey Human Capital Management – HRM 531 02/12/2012 Instructor: Bob Hanks Labor Laws and Unions Abstract My family has an extensive history in the U.S. Postal Service therefore the appeal of the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO was irresistible. 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Even in the age of Facebook and email, it is likely that you have held a piece of mail and most likely, the way it got from point A (the person sending the mail) to point B (the person receiving the mail) was through the United States Postal Service, or the USPS. In the past decade, the postal service has experienced a decreased volume in their letter mail. In fact, for the postal service, the volume of this letter mail has been falling at a rateRead MoreThe Postal Service ( Usps )1433 Words   |  6 Pagesthe United States Postal Service (USPS). The USPS continues to struggle financially and has not shown a profit since the year of 2007. Congress continues to place pressure to privatize the postal service and to run like any other organization. Unlike other for profit organizations and businesses the USPS receives benefits from Congress such as bailouts when they cannot meet payroll, and are exempt for payi ng federal and state taxes. On the other side of the coin, the Postal Service must go beforeRead MoreThe History of Mail and the Postal System831 Words   |  3 Pagessmall packages or even written messages such as seasonal greetings and other. The first documentation of a mail service is dated back to Egypt when the pharaohs used carriers to send their decrees of territories. Persia was the first to have a real postal system which dates to Cyrus the Great at 550 BC. They used stations (Chapar-Khaneh), the carriers (Chapars) would go from post to post swapping tired horse for a fresh horse so they could deliver that much faster. 322-185 B.C. India developedRead MoreIndividual Case Study Report : Fedex1125 Words   |  5 Pagesbroad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services† better than the government postal department. As the FedEx website states, Smith created the company â€Å"for the purpose of expanding access through overnight express delivery.† Also, in an interview with the Bloomberg Network he also claimed the company’s goal is to provide transportation capabilities for parts and pieces of the modern age. The main station is located in Memphis, Tennessee in the United States. The company startedRead MoreBusiness Practise : A New Age Of Old General Busineses And Replacing Them By New Needs1474 Words   |  6 PagesBusiness practise porfolio Name: Hoang Anh Phan ID: 1514415 Executive Summary As the innovation of technology in this new age of humanlity, elimination of old general busineses and replacing them by new needs is essiential factor that affects to evolution of men society. For example the two industry evolutions mid-late 18th and late 19th Century in England, favour machines almost replaced to handicraft and create an establishment for technology development brought allRead MoreThe United States Post Office began in 1775, with the intention to create a bond across the nation500 Words   |  2 PagesUnfortunately, for the United State Postal Service, these advancements, which have little to no cost, mean a great loss in revenue for them. Since 2006 the Post Office has not turned a profit, which leads many people to question whether their services should be privatized. (S2) The United State Post Office is a â€Å"cost based service†, which means that whether they are making money or not, they must continue to offer their products and services. (S3) The law provides that only the postal service can put mail into