CDL:  The Telegraph:  The “Wonder Working Wire”

Samuel F. B. Morse invented the telegraph, or was given the credit for it, because he obtained a patent June 20, 1840.  Samuel combined the ideas of several scientists in order to create the telegraph device.  The telegraph consisted of a code that Morse created where tapping into the device went through wires to another location in the form of dashes and dots.  The dashes and dots that resulted at the end of the wire were then translated from a language named” Morse Code” to create messages and letters.  The device was first tested by the U.S. in an experiment between the Supreme Court to Baltimore, 41 miles away.  This communication tool was so effective that soon there were lines all over the country paralleling the railroad lines.  Fifty thousand miles of telegraph wire were in place by 1861 when the telegraph reached the west coast.  The telegraph was an effective and speedy communication device that changed the way Americans conveyed business, news, and other information. 

Questions:

Why was the telegraph such a successful invention for Americans?

How was Samuel F. B. Morse able to develop the technology for the telegraph?