Final answer:
The postal service from the 15th to 17th centuries was characterized by the postal-station systems along trade routes, especially in empires like Persia. It relied on horseback couriers before the invention of the telegraph and did not include rural mail delivery until the late 19th century. The introduction of the telegraph greatly expedited long-distance communication.
Step-by-step explanation:
Postal Service Development from the 15th to the 17th Century
In the period from the 15th to the 17th century, postal services underwent significant developments, heavily influenced by the needs for official communication within large empires, such as the Persian Empire. The postal-station system was key to this evolution. This system was established along major trade routes, consisting of stations situated approximately every 20 miles to aid in the fast and reliable conveyance of official mail.
The delivery of mail in these times was by horseback, reflecting the era’s reliance on physical modes of transport before the advent of telegraphy and motorized vehicles. The Persian courier system was particularly noted for its efficiency, prompting even the chief architect for the Eighth Avenue post office in New York City to reference it when inscribing the building with a now-famous unofficial motto. This system was so efficient that it could take a message up to two years to travel from England to India, which was significantly reduced to just two days after the introduction of the telegraph in the 19th century.
Despite the sophistication of the postal systems for official use, it wasn’t until 1896 that mail delivery to rural areas began, years after the era being discussed. Through experimentation in delivering mail to individual farms, rural free delivery became permanent by 1902, equating the mail rights of rural inhabitants with those of city dwellers by the 1930s. As transport diversified with the rise of railroad and ship travel especially concerning middle-class accessibility, mail was carried by various means predominantly horse and wagon, with some fortunate carriers using cars.