page_title: William Goddard (printer)
section_title: The Constitutional Post
hierarchical_section_title: William Goddard (printer) / The Constitutional Post
caption_attribution_description: English: Letter, signed by Benjamin Franklin, giving pass for William Goddard as Riding Surveyor for the newly formed Constitutional Post.
context_page_description: William Goddard was an American patriot and printer, born in New London, Connecticut who lived through the era of the American Revolution. Goddard served as an apprentice printer under James Parker and in 1762 became an early American publisher who eventually founded several newspapers during his lifetime. His mother, father and sister were also involved with printing and publishing in the middle 18th century. For a short term Goddard was also a postmaster of Providence, Rhode Island. Later his newspaper partnership with Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia would play an important role in the development of Franklin's ideas for a postal system in the soon to be united colonies. Franklin was postmaster of Philadelphia from 1759 to 1775 when he was dismissed by the British Crown for exposing the letters of Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson. Goddard's association with Franklin while he was serving as the Postmaster in Philadelphia played an important role when Franklin was introducing many of the reforms and improvements needed in the colonial postal system currently in use.
context_section_description: Credit is roundly given to Benjamin Franklin for being the architect of a postal system that is still in use today in the United States. Franklin had made significant contributions to the postal system in the colonies while serving as the postmaster of Philadelphia from 1737 to 1753, and as joint postmaster general of the colonies from 1753 to 1774. Franklin's partnership with William Goddard in 1775 however played an integral role in the development of his ideas for a national postal system that was serve the soon to be United colonies. Goddard's ideas for a postal system were spurred by the Crown Post authorities who were manipulating the mail of the colonies as the revolution became more eminent. Goddard and his associates were forced to create an alternative system that came to be known as The Constitutional Post that would provide mail service to the colonies between New York and Philadelphia.  Goddard had presented his plan for a postal system to Congress beforehand on October 5, 1774, nearly two years before the Declaration of Independence was given to England. Congress had to deal with other urgent matters and had to delay Goddard's plan until after the Battles of Lexington and Concord in the Spring of 1775.
  On July 26, 1775 the plan, now known as the "Constitutional Post", was adopted and implemented, thus assuring communication between the colonies and keeping them informed of various events during the conflict with Britain. Distrustful of the Crown the colonial populous was turning to and using the postal system now provided by Goddard. Ultimately Goddard and his revolutionary post were so successful they finally forced the Crown post out of business in the American colonies on Christmas Day, 1775. Goddard's Constitutional Post proved to be a success and by 1775, when the Continental Congress met at Philadelphia, Goddard's colonial post was flourishing, and 30 post offices operated between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Williamsburg, Pennsylvania. Goddard's plan for a colonial post office would be one that was established and maintained by popular subscription and would be managed and controlled by a private committee that would be elected annually by the subscribers.  The committee would appoint postmasters, determine postal routes, hire post-riders and fix the rates of postage. In what was to Goddard an unexpected turn of events, when the Continental Congress on July 26, 1775 authorized a post office run by the government it passed over Goddard and instead named Benjamin Franklin as the first American Postmaster General.
  Goddard, a one time apprentice of Franklin and who was naturally influenced by his years of experience with the colonial postal system, still felt that he was the general creator of the postal system then in use in the colonies. Naturally he was disappointed when Benjamin Franklin was given the position of Postmaster by the Continental Congress. However he naturally conceded to Franklin, who was 36 years his senior, and to his many years of experience as postmasters and reluctantly but graciously agreed to serve instead as Riding Surveyor for the new U.S. Post Office. Franklin drew up a pass that allowed Goddard to travel at his discretion in his new position. Franklin authored and signed the pass and presented it to Goddard.  When the newly created American government under the U.S. Constitution began, the American postal system had about seventy-five post offices and 1,875 miles of post roads to serve a total colonial population of three million people.  Franklin served as postmaster for one year at which time the Postmaster's position was given to Richard Bache, the son-in-law of Franklin. Deeply disappointment for being passed over again Goddard resigned. Franklin would later leave the Bonds he had on the Goddards to Bache in his last will and testament of 1788. Franklin died in 1790.
  It was not until after the adoption of the Constitution in 1789 that a law passed on September 22, 1789, (1 Stat. 70) which created the federal Post Office under the new government of the United States and 
caption: Franklin pass for Goddard
  September 4th 1776
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