History Resources

Inside the Vault: Mary Katherine Goddard

by Gilder Lehrman Staff

On March 3, 2022, our curators were joined by Dr. Martha J. King to discuss Mary Katherine Goddard. Goddard was a newspaper publisher and printer, producing one of the first copies of the Declaration of Independence, and served as postmaster of Baltimore from 1775 to 1789. In 1789, Postmaster General Samuel Osgood ordered Goddard to resign her post so that he could appoint a political ally to the lucrative position. We looked at documents related to her appeal to President George Washington to keep her position.  

Click here to download the slides from the presentation. 

Featured Documents

USE THE TIMESTAMPS BELOW TO JUMP TO THE TOPICS YOU WANT TO VIEW

  • Who was Mary Katherine Goddard?: 3:29–10:45
  • The Declaration of Independence: 10:47–16:58
  • Petition to Samuel Osgood, Postmaster General of New York: 20:37–24:29
  • Extract of a letter from Baltimore to a Gentleman in Philadelphia: 24:32–27:35
  • Mary Katherine Goddard to George Washington: 28:02–38:05
  • George Washington to Mary Katherine Goddard and the Outcome of Goddard: 38:07–44:14
  • Where We Find Clues to History's Mysteries and Q&A: 44:29–1:03:38

Additional Resources