The influence of the telegraph in the united states society in the 19th century

摘要

This paper explores the relationship of the telegraph, the first means of long-distance communication, with the development of 19th century American society. Among the numerous effects of the telegraph, three will be treated more deeply in this paper: the simultaneous development of railway service along with the telegraph, the change in the scope and speed of the diffusion of news across the country with the telegraph, and the telegraph's use in the military conflicts such as the Mexican War and the American Civil War. Rather than focusing on the technical aspects of the telegraph's development, this paper deals with the relationship that telecommunications development shares with society.