A History of Printing in Colonial Maryland

"The Printer of this Paper, with great Pleasure, acquaints the Public, that his Proposal
for Establishing an American Post Office, on constitutional Principles, hath been warmly
and generously patronized by the Friends of Freedom in all the great Commercial Towns
in the Eastern Colonies, where ample Funds are already secured, Postmasters and Riders
engaged, and, indeed, every necessary Arrangement made for the Reception of the South-
ern mails, which, it is expected, will scon be extended thither. As therefore the final success
of the Undertaking now depends on the Public Spirit of the Inhabitants of Maryland and
Virginia, it is not doubted, from the recent Evidence they have given of their Noble Zeal in
the Cause of Liberty and their Country, but they will cheerfully join the rescuing the Chan-
nel of public and private Intelligence from the horrid Fangs of Ministerial Dependents; a
Measure indispensably necessary in the present alarming Crisis of American Affairs.

The following Plan, &c., hath been published and universally approved of at the East-
ward."

The "Plan" which followed set forth briefly the history of the "present
American Post Office," ministerial in its creation, direction and dependence,
which not only was tampering with private correspondence, but as well,
was interfering with the circulation of "our News-Papers, those necessary
and important alarms in Times of public Danger." In view of the indict-
ment of its management which he proceeded to unfold, Goddard proposed
the establishment of a new, semi-public system, and laid down in eight par-
agraphs rules for its maintenance and government, therein establishing a
set of principles by which his Constitutional Post Office was operated and
which were adopted with certain essential changes when the Continental
Congress at a later time took over the system. His method of securing sup-
port for his scheme seems to have been the publication of newspaper an-
nouncements such as that which has been quoted here from the pages of
the Maryland Journal, followed in each locality by the circulation of a sub-
scription form, headed "The Plan for establishing a New American Post
Office."¹ He seems to have worked at this task single-handed. His proposals
were entirely in his own name, and that he succeeded in his great under-
taking may be accepted as an evidence of the esteem in which he was gen-
erally held. Little imagination is required to arrive at an understanding of
the magnitude of his labors in carrying out an enterprise so great and com-
plex as the establishment of a system of post offices and riders with routes
and cross routes from Maine to Georgia.

On July 16, 1774,² he announced that a "New Post Office" would "shortly
be opened in this and every Considerable Town, from Virginia to Casco

¹ One such broadside, with the names of the subscribers torn off, has been preserved in the John Carter Brown
Library. It is dated Boston, April 30, 1774, and in Goddard's own hand it is addressed as follows, "To the Gentn.
of the Committee of Correspondence for the Town of Newbury, from their most... humble Servt. Wm. Goddard."
The proposals and "plan" above described are printed in American Archives, 4th Series, 1: 500.

² Maryland Journal.

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