Throughline — "Signed, Sealed & Delivered | America in Pursuit"

Release Date: January 27, 2026
Hosts: Rund Abdelfatah & Ramtin Arablouei
Guest: Winifred Gallagher (Author, "How the Post Office Created America")

Episode Overview

This episode of NPR’s Throughline (part of the limited series "America in Pursuit") explores how the U.S. Postal Service was not just integral, but foundational, to the creation of the United States—and how it established the infrastructure necessary for democracy and civic dialogue. Through an interview with journalist and historian Winifred Gallagher, the hosts draw a line from the “Committees of Correspondence” in the Revolution, to the founding of the Post Office, to the evolution of American political culture and the ongoing significance of accessible communication.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Postal Service: The Original Information Network

• Framing the Founders’ Dilemma:

  • The American Revolution was driven by new ideas that needed to be shared quickly and widely (00:18–00:50).
  • The first U.S. Government functioned fundamentally as an information and communications network.

• Winifred Gallagher’s Premise:

  • The Post Office was the technological backbone that enabled the revolutionary movement and later managed the functions of a new democracy (00:55–02:14, resumed at 03:17).
  • Host Rund Abdelfatah likens the post office’s historic role to the function of social media in recent uprisings such as the Arab Spring (01:20–01:37).

2. The Revolutionary Networks

• Committees of Correspondence & Constitutional Post:

  • Early informal communication channels among revolutionaries like Jefferson and Adams enabled them to “talk treason” safely (04:40–05:10).

• Birth of Government:

  • These channels not only birthed the Post Office Department (est. 1775) but also laid the groundwork for U.S. governmental structure (05:12–05:32).

Quote:
"The first U.S. government was really an information and communications network."
— Winifred Gallagher [05:29]

3. Making an Informed Citizenry

• Madison & Rush’s Vision:

  • Enlightened political leaders understood democracy required an informed electorate (06:00–06:14).

• Postal Policy as Radical Civic Engineering:

  • Costly stamp fees for personal letters (often from businessmen/lawyers) subsidized the mass distribution of cheap, uncensored newspapers to citizens.
  • This effectively democratized information in a way that was "wildly radical" compared to contemporary Europe (06:15–07:01).

Quote:
"They devised this kind of Robin Hood scheme...soaked these businessmen...and that money subsidized mailing cheap, uncensored newspapers to every citizen."
— Winifred Gallagher [06:30]

4. Jumpstarting National Infrastructure

• Connecting a Growing Nation:

  • The need to quickly deliver news resulted in the rapid expansion of post roads, post offices, and eventually, a national transportation system (07:18–08:01).
  • By 1831, America had twice as many post offices as Britain and five times more than France.

• Education by Post:

  • Cheap rates for books and magazines turned the postal system into an informal national education network, crucial for rural and agrarian populations (08:15–09:07).

Quote:
"This business of sending magazines and books very cheap...really amounted to...an informal educational system...where people really learned about what was [happening]."
— Winifred Gallagher [08:38]

5. The Lasting Legacy of the Post Office

• Relevance Today:
  • The postal system is a “nervous system” of the republic, crucial for information access, emergency deliveries, and civic life.
  • Gallagher urges listeners to reflect on the continued value of a system that reaches “every house” (09:08–10:15).

Quote:
"It’s hard to overstate the value of a delivery system that can reach every house with potentially urgently needed materials."
— Winifred Gallagher [10:07]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You could argue that the first U.S. government was really an information and communications network."
  — Winifred Gallagher [05:29]

• On the Enlightened Subsidy:

  • "They devised this kind of Robin Hood scheme...that money subsidized mailing cheap, uncensored newspapers to every citizen. This was considered wildly radical in Europe."
    — Winifred Gallagher [06:30]

• On Education by Mail:

  • "This business of sending magazines and books very cheap...really amounted to what was, for a lot of people, an informal educational system..."
    — Winifred Gallagher [08:39]

• Reflecting on the Present:

  • "It is an excellent time for people to think about the value of this system."
    — Winifred Gallagher [10:15]

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:18–01:37 — Introduction to the central theme; connecting the American Revolution's communication needs to modern social media.
• 03:17–04:41 — Winifred Gallagher introduces the personal genesis of her Post Office research.
• 04:40–05:32 — The role and structure of the Committees of Correspondence and their evolution into the U.S. Post Office.
• 06:00–07:08 — How the post office subsidized newspapers to inform citizens and foster democracy.
• 07:18–08:01 — Expansion of the physical post network and its implication for national growth.
• 08:15–09:07 — Postal system as a vehicle for informal public education.
• 09:08–10:15 — Reflections on the enduring civic significance of the Postal Service.
• 11:01–11:23 — Teaser for next week’s exploration of the Supreme Court’s transformation.

Tone & Style

The episode is conversational, accessible, and enthusiastic about the power of both history and civic infrastructure. The hosts guide the audience with curiosity and clarity, while Winifred Gallagher brings deep reflection and gentle urgency on the relevance of historical lessons to the present.

Useful For

• Listeners interested in American history, democracy, and the origins of civic infrastructure
• Anyone reflecting on the continued value of public systems and information access
• Civics teachers and history buffs seeking powerful historical analogies

Next Episode Preview

Rund and Ramtin tease a deep dive into the origins and evolution of the Supreme Court, exploring its journey from a marginal institution to the influential force it is today [11:01–11:23].