Video: When slaves carried the US Mail

postal, postu.be 2 Comments

Before there was home mail delivery, slaves often carried letters to and from U.S. post offices or directly to recipients themselves.

Now the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum is recalling that piece of postal history in a new exhibit opening Thursday. "Freedom Just Around the Corner: Black America from Civil War to Civil Rights" is the museum’s first exhibit devoted entirely to African-American history.

via U.S. Postal Museum Features Stories of Slave-Carried Mail | NBC4 Washington.

  • We are watching

    It’s nice to see African Americans being recognized for their early contributions to the USPS. They continue as an integral part of Postal heritage till this day. How about future generations of hard working african american, veteran and all other Postal employees? I noticed new PMG Brennan smiling and applauding in the video. Is this just a public relations exercise while she works to dismantle the Postal Service as her predecessor thus abandoning the very people being recognized? Her lightning fast appointment is of concern . Let us see what is really in her heart.

  • Keeping It Real

    The article is misleading. I thought it would discuss the early role slaves played in delivering the U.S. Mail. Instead, it simply stated briefly that slaves carried and delivered mail. It didn’t answer questions such as: WHO were the slaves? HOW did they deliver the mail? WHY were they used? WHEN were they used? WHAT happened that slaves stopped delivering mail? WHERE were the slaves used? WERE they paid? No pictures of slaves delivering mail or in uniform (if they were even given uniforms). It was a interesting article but not what I expected.