Birth of the Nation: The First Federal Congress, 1789-1791 | Next Page
Petitioning the Federal Government
Petition of Mary Katherine Goddard
Petition of Mary Katherine Goddard,
January 29, 1790
(Courtesy of the National Archives)

In this petition, Mary Katherine Goddard, the popular deputy postmaster of Baltimore, Maryland, asked the Senate to reinstate her in the job. She complained of having been removed from office without cause. Dozens of prominent Baltimoreans, including Maryland's governor, signed a letter on her behalf but were told that "some inferior offices would be put under the direction of the deputy here, & more travelling might be necessary than a woman could undertake." Allegations that she was an antifederalist sympathizer may have been behind the removal. She was not reinstated.


To view a larger image of the petition, click on the image of the petition. 

 

Full text transcript of the Goddard petition.


 

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