Barnabas Bates and the Battle for Cheap Postage: "The Rowland Hill of America"
Philatelic historian Van Dyk Macbride wrote the only significant biography of one of libertarianism's unknown heroes.
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Philatelic historian Van Dyk Macbride wrote the only significant biography of one of libertarianism's unknown heroes.
Despite Bates's lifetime of activism for postal reform, the government was extremely slow to change. And when it finally did, Daniel Webster stole all the credit.
Bates' personal mission becomes a reform movement, complete with a propaganda arm and lobbying wing. We question the origins of his crusade and its fruits.
In our finale, we assess Bates' impact and legacy, comparing his slow and steady reform pace with Spooner's more radical agenda.