ray ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁Post ▁Office ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States , ▁beginning ▁with ▁Franklin , ▁the ▁Cont inental ▁post master ▁and ▁the ▁post ▁r ider ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁days , ▁followed ▁by ▁the ▁locomot ive ▁of ▁a ▁later ▁day ▁and ▁the ▁Ocean ▁Ste amer ▁carrying ▁the ▁ma ils … , ▁the ▁most ▁important ▁scenes ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁country , ▁its ▁triumph ant ▁arms , ▁and ▁Washington ▁its ▁first ▁and ▁Lincoln ▁its ▁last ▁President ." ▁ ▁In ▁keeping ▁with ▁the ▁suggestions ▁in ▁the ▁Post ▁Office ▁advert is ement , ▁the ▁ess ays ▁that ▁National ▁Bank note ▁Company ▁submitted ▁for ▁the ▁new ▁issue ▁on ▁July ▁ 2 2 , ▁ 1 8 6 9 , ▁indeed ▁represented ▁a ▁fresh ▁approach . ▁Six ▁of ▁the ▁designs ▁( 1 ¢ , ▁ 2 ¢ , ▁ 3 ¢ , ▁ 1 2 ¢ , ▁ 1 5 ¢ ▁and ▁ 2 4 ¢ ) ▁were ▁accepted ▁with ▁few ▁alter ations ▁( most ▁of ▁the ▁changes ▁involved ▁making ▁the ▁numer als ▁larger — - ▁which , ▁on ▁some ▁values , ▁was ▁not ▁an ▁a est h etic ▁improvement ). ▁The ▁remaining ▁ess ays ▁were ▁quite ▁different ▁from ▁the ▁st amps ▁ultimately ▁issued . ▁One ▁interesting ▁feature ▁is ▁that ▁this ▁July ▁ 2 2 ▁version ▁of ▁the ▁series ▁placed ▁Washington ▁on ▁two ▁denomin ations — - ▁not ▁a ▁surprising ▁dup lication , ▁given ▁that ▁so ▁many ▁Washington ▁st amps ▁had ▁been ▁included ▁in ▁the ▁two ▁previous ▁definit ive ▁series . ▁National ▁submitted ▁both ▁five -