United States Postal Service

:This article describes the United States Postal Service. For the band named The Postal Service see The Postal Service.

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The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States; it is generally referred to within the United States as "the post office."

Related Topics:
United States - Government - Postal service

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The postal service was created under Benjamin Franklin on July 26, 1775 by decree of the Second Continental Congress. Based on a clause in the United States Constitution empowering Congress "To establish Post Offices and post Roads," it became the Post Office Department in 1792. In 1971, the USPS was reorganized as a quasi-independent agency of the federal government.

Related Topics:
Benjamin Franklin - July 26 - 1775 - Second Continental Congress - United States Constitution - Congress - Post Office Department - 1792 - 1971

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The USPS is the third-largest employer in the US (after the Defense Department and Walmart), and operates the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the world, with an estimated 170,000 vehicles, the majority of which are the easily identified "mail trucks," as shown in the picture to the right. Some rural mail carriers use personal vehicles.

Related Topics:
Defense Department - Walmart - Mail carrier

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Competition from e-mail and private operations such as United Parcel Service, FedEx, and DHL has forced USPS to adjust its business strategy and to modernize its products and services. The Department of Defense and the USPS jointly operate a postal system to deliver mail for the military known as the Army/Air Force Post Office and the Fleet Post Office.

Related Topics:
E-mail - United Parcel Service - FedEx - DHL - Department of Defense - Fleet Post Office

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