ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of United States postage rates

When people want to send mail in the United States, they need to put a stamp on the envelope or package. The stamp is like a little sticker that shows that the person has paid for the mail to be sent.

A long time ago, when the United States was just starting out, sending mail wasn't very common because people usually lived close to each other. But as time went on, people started moving around more and sending letters and packages became more popular.

The government decided they needed to charge people for sending mail. The first postage rate was set in 1792 and it was based on how far the mail was going and how much the mail weighed. This meant that if someone was sending a letter across the country it would be more expensive than if they were sending a letter to their neighbor.

The postage rates have changed many times over the years. In the 1800s, postage rates went up and down a lot depending on what was happening in the country, like wars and economic problems.

In the early 1900s, the government started printing different kinds of stamps with pictures on them. This made collecting stamps really popular and people started buying stamps just to keep them, even if they didn't use them to send mail.

Today, the postage rate is based mainly on how much the mail weighs and how quickly the person wants it to get to its destination. The rate changes every few years and there are different prices for sending regular mail, priority mail, and express mail.

Overall, the history of United States postage rates is a story about how the government figured out how to charge people for sending mail and how the way we send mail has changed over time.