The United States Federal Government issued its first adhesive postage stamps in 1847.  (Postmaster's Provisionals were issued in 1846.)  Prior to 1846 all United States mail was sent without postage affixed and was either prepaid or paid by the recipient with the markings and cancels indicating the method of payment and the method of transportation.

Stampless covers and letters from the 1700s to 1856 offer us a fascinating look at our past as they are the thoughts, hopes and fears of real people who lived during those actual times. In addition some of the covers and letters give us real insight into the workings of business enterprises, shipping ventures and other types of period trade.

NOTE: Stampless mail continued to be sent up until 1856, as is the case with the fourth example (1849 Crew List) shown below. 

Prior to the July 1, 2025 Postal Act it cost the same to send a collect letter as it did a pre-paid one and most mail was sent collect. The 1851 law provided for a lower rate (3c) for prepaid mail than for letters sent collect (5c). Thus, after 1851 there was a much greater incentive to prepay all mail. Prepayment of all postage became compulsory after April 1, 1855, and prepayment by the use of postage stamps became compulsory after January 1, 1856. 

Postal Rates prior to 1846 were exorbitant and just a little bit confusing.  The postage was rated on the number of sheets and the distance the mail had to travel. Only on mail weighing more than 1 oz did weight come into consideration. (Letters weighing more than 1 oz were rated at a quadruple rate and one additional rate for each 1/4 ounce thereafter.) This is the reason that most personal mail during that period was sent on a single folded sheet that served as both the wrapper and the letter itself.

The postal rates from 1799 to 1816 for single letters (one sheet) were as follows:

As can be seen by the above table, sending mail any distance in those days could cost as much as a man made in a week. The 1816 to 1845 postal rates varied slightly in distance and cost from the previous rates but were still expensive. In 1846 the rate was set at 5 cents for half ounce letters sent under 300 miles and 10 cents for letters sent over 300 miles. In 1851 the post office finally initiated a reasonable rate structure with all half ounce letters traveling under 3000 miles rated at 3 cents.

The covers and links above relate to Rhode Island postal history These pages concern Rhode Island history; the illustrated covers here and on other pages with their contents are intended to help us better understand how Rhode Islanders worked and related to each other.