# Think Tank > U.S. Constitution >  What is meant by "post roads" in the Constitution?

## Matt Collins

What is meant by "post roads" in the Constitution?

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## axiomata

I'm sure you can figure it out.

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## Major_C_Natural

It is basically what it is called: A road designated for mail transportation. Abstractly, the government is empowered to create communication networks.

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## Dr.3D

I suppose they could have or should have called them postal roads.  

Of course then people would probably think the roads were going to go nuts and shoot people.

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## Matt Collins

So does this mean that the federal government has the authority to build highways and other roads?

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## forsmant

as long as they are used for post travel

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## Matt Collins

> as long as they are used for post travel


Can they be used for other purposes too?

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## Andrew-Austin

They had to have post roads in order to mail a copy of the constitution to every home, it was for the sake preserving limited government.

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## Major_C_Natural

> Can they be used for other purposes too?


Mail is basically delivering objects from point A to point B so humans and freight could be considered mailable objects too. :P

In other words, I believe that the postal clause gives the Federal government has the power to build freeways and other roads. It could be argued even further that the Federal government also has the power to build standardized telephone and cable lines in order to facilitate the "transportation" of electronic mail.

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## Matt Collins

> Mail is basically delivering objects from point A to point B so humans and freight could be considered mailable objects too. :P
> 
> In other words, I believe that the postal clause gives the Federal government has the power to build freeways and other roads. It could be argued even further that the Federal government also has the power to build standardized telephone and cable lines in order to facilitate the "transportation" of electronic mail.


Well Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and others said that while roads were good, it would require a Constitutional amendment for them to begin construction of them.

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## Live_Free_Or_Die

> Well Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and others said that while roads were good, it would require a Constitutional amendment for them to begin construction of them.


Bouvier's 1856 Edition Law Dictionary has an elaborate definition of Post Offices referring to post roads in several parts of the the definition:



> 6. - 4. That the postmaster general shall cause a mail to be carried from the nearest post office, on any established post road, to the court house of any county which is now, or may hereafter be established in any of the states or territories of the United States, and which is without a mail; and the road on which such mail shall be transported, shall become a post road, and so continue, until the transportation thereon shall cease. It shall for the postmaster general to enter into contracts, for a term not exceeding four years, for extending the line of posts, and to authorize the persons, so contracting, as a compensation for their expenses, to receive during the continuance of such contracts, at rates not exceeding those for like distances, established by this act, all the postage which shall arise on all letters, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, and packets, conveyed by any such posts; and the roads designated in such contracts, shall, during the continuance thereof, be deemed and considered as post roads, within the provision of this act: and a duplicate of every such contract shall, within sixty days after the execution thereof, be lodged in the office of the comptroller of the treasury of the United States.





> 8. - 8. That, whenever it shall be made appear, to the satisfaction of the postmaster general, that any road established, or which may hereafter be established as a post road, is obstructed by fences, gates, or tars, or other than those lawfally used on turnpike, roads to collect their toll, and not kept in good repair, with proper bridges and ferries, where the same may be necessary, it shall be the duty of the postmaster general to report the same to congress, with such information as can be obtained, to enable congress to establish some other road instead of it, in the same main direction.





> 12. Finding roads in use throughout the country, congress has established, that is, selected such as suited the convenience of the government, and which the exigencies of the people required, to be post roads. It has seldom exercised the power of making new roads, but examples are not wanting of roads having been made under the express authority of congress.


http://www.constitution.org/bouv/bouvier_p.htm

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## Pericles

> Well Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and others said that while roads were good, it would require a Constitutional amendment for them to begin construction of them.


This shows how strictly they viewed the limits placed on the federal government - combine the following with post #11 in this thread.

The authority to establish post roads is limited from post office to post office and the county seat of government.

The establishing of roads to the NW territory (the subject of your post) could not be done until a US post office was first established - and of course, until enough people settled there, there would be no post office. Thus a chicken and egg problem - without roads, there would not be substantial movement of people and goods.

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## nate895

Road laying is one of the things Jefferson and his fellow Republicans got wrong in regards to the Constitution. While the "post roads" authority definitely means that the roads would be established as a means to transport the mail, I do not think that necessitates that a full town and post office needs to be established at the other end before thinking about a road. Why would it be unreasonable to build a road to where there is no post office (such as the NW territories back then) and then commission the building of a post office at the end? Perhaps you can also just build post offices in then rural locations in order to tame the wilderness? I mean this authority is a bit broader than Jefferson said, I think. Jefferson was not infallible; he was no inspired by God or anything.

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## heavenlyboy34

> *Road laying is one of the things Jefferson and his fellow Republicans got wrong in regards to the Constitution.* While the "post roads" authority definitely means that the roads would be established as a means to transport the mail, I do not think that necessitates that a full town and post office needs to be established at the other end before thinking about a road. Why would it be unreasonable to build a road to where there is no post office (such as the NW territories back then) and then commission the building of a post office at the end? Perhaps you can also just build post offices in then rural locations in order to tame the wilderness? I mean this authority is a bit broader than Jefferson said, I think. Jefferson was not infallible; he was no inspired by God or anything.


 
Jefferson wasn't present at the constitituional convention. You'll have to blame that on Hamilton and his Federalists. Jefferson had his faults (as did the Democratic-Republicans), but this was not one of them.

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## Major_C_Natural

> Well Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and others said that while roads were good, it would require a Constitutional amendment for them to begin construction of them.


Thomas Jefferson authorized the construction of the National Road (or Cumberland road)

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