“In America, one of the first things done in a new State is to have the mail come.” —Alexis de Toqueville, 1835

Who’s Got Mail? is an intriguing and fact-filled look at how the mail has been delivered in the United States since the Constitution was signed. In the United States, the spread of the postal service went hand in hand with the spread of democracy and transportation. As settlement spread west, communication became even more important to let distant residents feel that they were American; no part of the country was too far away, no village or farm too small to have access to the post. Moreover, the Post Office has always been a public service—it was not designed to make a profit or act like a business, but to deliver letters, medical supplies, packages ordered online, and all the things that Americans need at a reasonable cost. Over the centuries, it has also been one of the largest employers in the United States, particularly as a means for African Americans and women to secure stable, middle-class jobs.