Did Lincoln's Use Of The Telegraph

This paper will attempt to explain how the telegraph contributed to the development of mass media.

Telegraph grids were another technological advancement of the Gilded Age. For the first time in history, transcontinental communication was possible. People could now find out about news from across the nation within minutes of it happening, instead of days as it sometimes took before. Businesses took advantage of this by building plants and factories all across the country, hiring managers for each individual outfit, and communicating among each location with ease. (Sinclair 75) Telegraph lines were also a nurturing point for one of the most famous business tycoons of the Gilded Age, Andrew Carnegie. (Carnegie 653)

The telegraph quickly became popular between people that wanted to send messages over long distances easier and faster than ever before. The telegraph also improved ways of communicating across continents. The first telegraph line was laid across the Atlantic Ocean in 1866; later in 1940 40 lines were laid across the Atlantic Ocean. History.com also states that:

Of particular importance in answering this question will be Mr. Lincoln 's T-Mails: How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War and Mr. Lincoln 's High-tech War, books about Lincoln’s use of the telegraph for war and his leadership. These two sources are important to the research because they not only discuss how Lincoln used the telegraph, but also how this demonstrated his leadership.

Technological improvements saw an increase in the ease of communication and transportation. In terms of making a big world smaller, the 1870s saw two of America’s most famous inventors make their mark: Alexander Graham Bell, with the telephone, and Thomas Edison, with the electric light bulb. Before Bell, the primary means of communication was with a pen and

Throughout history, there are key inventions such as the telephone and the computer that transcended the way people communicate and relay information with each other. The invention that started this wave of faster and faster communication, the telegraph, proved to be revolutionary, paving way to many of these efficient methods of communication in the United States. During the late 19th century, the United States faced significant transformations culturally and socially with the help of the Telegraph. The telegraph proved to play a significant role in the United States’ Civil War, improving the way the military was planning and executing its strategies. This proved to be even more impressive, because of the adversities military telegraphers

In the early 1860’s, new inventions and technology in the United States would completely evolve during the Civil War. One of the several technological advances at this time was the telegraph and it changed the outcome of not only the war but the future, by providing faster communication between the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln and his Union Generals. This essential apparatus was constructed by Samuel Morse and Lincoln was the first president to communicate efficiently to his generals. More importantly, this device increased the Union’s chances of winning the war since the Confederates lacked the technology that allowed information to transmit to their own troops.

According to Coutu (2014), President Abraham Lincoln demonstrated remarkable EQ skills during his presidency (p.5). President Lincoln incorporated the best people for the job of his cabinet, whether they liked him or not, and in just a few weeks he earned the respect of many. The author states, William Seward was opposed to President Lincoln, but after a few short weeks, he found President Lincoln to be an extraordinary man, none like he had ever meet before (p. 5). President Lincoln is best remembered for the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves, but what some people may not realize is how he went about achieving this goal. Coutu states, President Lincoln allowed his cabinet to discuss and debate where or not to abolish slavery, and

Of particular importance in answering this question will be Mr. Lincoln 's T-Mails: How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War and Mr. Lincoln 's High-tech War,

Today people communicate through text and email and think nothing about it because they can get a reply right away. Back in the 1800’s people had to wait for up to, months to get a reply from someone. “The mail was delivered by either stagecoach or by boat and it would take up to 21 days to get a letter to someone” (Pony Express). In the 1860’s a group of men invented a faster mail delivery service called the Pony Express. The Pony express transformed the ingenuity of America by the delivery of a faster mail service and the legend of the men crossing through dangerous territory.

In order for General Grant to command Union forces from City Point, he created a highly efficient communication network. The communication system relied extensively on the use of the electric telegraph. An electric telegraph is a telegraph in which an operator at one station causes words or signs to be made at another station by means of a current of electricity, generated by a battery and transmitted over a wire. Grant’s extensive communication system enabled him to be able to effectively command Union forces over the entire country and gave him a direct line of contact with President Lincoln.

Have you ever knew anybody that you probably already knew. Like Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, Mark Luther King, and Abraham Lincoln. All of these people have something that they have achieved in life. For ex. Albert Einstein was a incredible scientist. Lincoln was a president that when the slavery days were beginning after the Civil War, he had a pride to end slavery and free slaves. Lincoln did that by creating a proclamation to free all slaves. Lincoln was a good president.

In addition to using the telegraph to enhance his relationship with generals and optimize the war strategy, Lincoln also gave the North a comparative advantage by leveraging the device to cultivate a positive public opinion. At the time of the Civil War, the United States of America had the highest newspaper production and distribution levels in the world, constituting one-third of the global number of newspapers. Furthermore, the owners and editors of these publications had substantial power by wielding their publications to peddle their various agendae. Despite the newspaper industry’s influence, it remained slow and inefficient prior to the Civil War. For instance, during the Mexican-American War, the Pony Express provided newspaper outlets with information regarding battlefield activity.

Additionally, another aspect of its typicality lies in issue of control that are generated by new communication technologies. The telegraph, like each communication innovation that arose subsequently, altered relations of control and power. The development of new communication technologies led to a change in the nature of control in society from one based locally to one characterized by centralization. The telegraph was the first modern communication technology with this centralized character which was able to alter the relations of power and control in society. It made long distance control more viable and direct. Power is generated by the transformation relations inherent in the allocative and authoritative resources comprised in structures

When Lincoln arrived for his inauguration in 1861 there was not even a telegraph line to the War Department, much less the White House. Storm clouds were brewing, but when the US Army wanted to send a telegram they did like everyone else: sending a clerk with a hand written message to stand in line at Washington’s central telegraph office. That unwieldy situation changed rapidly, however, as wires were strung to the War Department and other key installations. The White House, however, remained without any outside connection.