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The Unconstitutionality of the Laws of Congress Prohibiting Private Mails

For Students 9th - 10th
An exposition by Lysander Spooner on behalf of the American Letter Mail Company entered according to an Act of Congress in1844, asserting that the company should have the right to establish post offices in competition with those of...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Moving the Mail

For Students 9th - 10th
This online exhibit takes students through various means of delivering mail via land, sea, and air. Historic, primary materials are used throughout the exhibit.
Handout
Other

Pony Express: History of the Pony Express

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the beginnings of the Pony Express, the requirements to be a rider, and find out why this mail delivery system ended.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Design Packing to Safely Mail Raw Spaghetti

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will use their creative skills to determine a way to mail raw spaghetti. The students will need to choose a way to safely package their raw spaghetti using only the materials provided. To test the packing designs, the spaghetti...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Moving West

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Postal Museum provides an intimate look at how America's postal service expanded to meet the needs of westward-moving settlers during the nineteenth century. Content includes a selection of letters written at the time, a...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Fifteen Objects That Changed Postal History

For Students 9th - 10th
Useful information about the history of the postal system and about the changes in postal and transportation technologies that have made the U.S. Postal Service what it is today.
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: The Story of the Pony Express

For Students 9th - 10th
This article explores the story of the Pony Express, the "speedy" mail service that once connected the Eastern U.S. with the West.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Customers & Communities

For Students 9th - 10th
This online exhibit tells the story of the mail service in the rural and urban areas in the 20th century. Historic, primary materials are used throughout the exhibit.
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Decode the Barcode

For Students 9th - 10th
Do you know what the barcode means at the bottom of an envelope? See if you can figure out how to crack the code that the postal service uses to deliver mail in this fun activity.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: As Precious as Gold

For Students 9th - 10th
"As Precious as Gold," is an online exhibit from the National Postal Museum which explores the rich history of the Alaskan/Klondike gold rushes. Find stories on extraordinary women, the trails, the Palm Sunday avalanche, the U.S. Postal...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Unlocking the Endocrine System

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students learn how the endocrine system works and compare it to the mail delivery system. Students discuss the importance of communication in human body systems and relate that to engineering and astronauts.
Handout
Utah Education Network

Uen: Utah History Encyclopedia: Pony Express in Utah

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides concise historical information concerning the Pony Express in Utah.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Binding the Nation

For Students 9th - 10th
A multi-part online exhibit that traces the development of the U.S. Postal System. Artifacts may be clicked on and text explains their significance. Historic, primary materials are used throughout the exhibit.
Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: Pony Express: History and Culture

For Students 9th - 10th
A good article from the National Park Service which recounts the history of the brief existence of the Pony Express. Read about the route, what caused the demise of the Pony Express, and what part of the trail can still be seen.
Graphic
Curated OER

Vmcsf: When the Pony Express Was in Vogue

For Students 3rd - 8th
The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco provides this article from the 1925 San Francisco Newsletter on the Pony Express, the first transcontinental U.S. Mail service.
Graphic
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Postal Puzzle: Pony Express

For Students 9th - 10th
Put together this jig saw puzzle to form a picture of the pony express postage stamp. Click on the link for other related information on the Pony Express from the National Postal Museum.
Unknown Type
Other

Pony Express Home Station: Pony Express Quiz

For Students 3rd - 8th
A short multiple-choice quiz on the Pony Express.
Graphic
Other

Pony Express Home Station: Pony Express Route

For Students 3rd - 8th
Use this site to view maps of routes on the Pony Express and also read a brief history.

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