Lincoln and the Telegraph

Importance of the Invention of the Telegraph

     

     The telegraph changed the world and the way it communicated.  Tom Wheeler (2006) in his work Mr. Lincoln’s T-mails: The Untold Story of how Abraham Lincoln used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War equates this invention with the invention of our current internet superhighway.  This parallel was certainly correct.  The telegraph allowed leaders, businessmen, family, pretty much anyone who could get to the postal station to communicate with those that were towns, states, regions, and mountains apart.  The possibilities were endless.  Specific to the Civil War, the telegraph allowed Lincoln and his generals to move armies in unison, coordinate attacks, and direct troop movements from afar.  This allowed the leaders to be away from the destruction of the battlefield but to acquire first-hand knowledge of the events that were going on nearly right after they happened.  This was certainly one of the most influential and prototypical inventions that accelerated modern warfare.  Only fifty years later, the United States was fighting a war an ocean away but directing it from our homeland here in the United States.  I really liked how the David Bates (1907) in his work entitled Lincoln in the Telegraph Office: Recollections of the United States Military Telegraph Office During the Civil War compared the general of Japan and his use of the telegraph in the campaign against Russia like a “chess player, who can at once follow move by move.”   

Downsides    

     Two of the potential downsides to the telegraph in my mind are: One, the military telegraphers had the most intimate knowledge of troop movements, general’s orders, strategies, etc.  If one were to betray his loyalty, then he could have easily informed the Confederates of potential actions of the Union Army, or vice versa.  But with the new information age of today, this could surely happen with our armies’ use of email in the Persian Gulf War.  However, we do have firewalls and other governmental task forces that monitor all confidential emails to ensure this would not happen.  As we have seen with the Wiki Leaks, someone with some substantial computer knowledge bypassed these watchdogs and leaked data of very sensitive material.

Lincoln's Ingenuity     

     Lincoln himself was an innovator, an inventor, and one to embrace new technology and wield it to his advantage.  He had a political career that was not defined by a previous heroic military leadership as compared to many past presidents.  While some may have seen this as a crux, the lack of military experience actually helped him.  Many of his generals and the leadership of the Confederates were cemented in their ago-old customs, traditions, and ordering of the world in a military manner that was based on the dogma that distance controlled battles and everything that encompassed a war.  However, Lincoln saw the telegraph as an advantage and used it in such a way that revolutionized warfare.  Before his implementation of this “game-changing” device, past Presidents would not even hear of news of the battle for days or weeks as they depended on couriers by horse.  Lincoln put himself nearly in the thick of the battle as he read communication between his generals and took the reins of leadership into his own hands.  Without Lincoln’s instrumental use of the telegraph during the Civil War, the outcome would have been probably different. 

Lincoln the Innovator     

     Lincoln himself was an innovative thinker using critical thinking skills, problem solving through observation and inquiry, essentially employing 21^st century thinking skills back in the 1860’s.  Not only did he successfully implement the telegraph to win the Civil War, he was a genius in his own right.  He created a buoyancy system for flat bottom river boats that would allow the boats to lift themselves out of a sandbar when they got stuck on the treacherous river highways.  This was a practical yet ingenious solution to an everyday problem.  Lincoln was also quick to implement the ironclad ship the USS Monitor.  Many leaders would have shied away from such a non-traditional ship that had innovative rotating gun turrets.  Another instance that highlighted his problem solving skills was when the Confederate leaders demanded that Lincoln remove his troops from Fort Sumter (McPherson, 2009).  President Lincoln was caught between a rock and a hard place.  If he acquiesced to their demands, it would convey the belief that perhaps he was weak and this might allow foreign countries to recognize the legitimacy of the Confederate states.  If he sent troops, this would signal the beginning of the war and he certainly did not want to be the protagonist and enrage the Northern populace.  So he ingeniously implemented a “food for hungry men” strategy and sent just provisions to his Union men stationed in Confederate territory.  President Lincoln adopted and wielded this new medium of communication through the invention of the telegraph, which shifted the tide of the war, and ultimately reunited this nation as a whole!!!

Creating Connections:  Discovering “Lincoln the Innovator” through Present Technology

Grade Level:  8th Grade – High School Level. 

Prior Learning:

Students should know how to plot distance on a graph.  Students should have a general knowledge of President Lincoln and his use of the telegraph during the Civil War.  Students should understand the concept of the telegraph and why the invention was so important to changing the way the world communicated during this time period.

Purpose/Objective of this Lesson:

Students will be able to understand why the telegraph was so important to revolutionizing the way our world communicated.  Students will demonstrate understanding of the distance information travels as they create their own Google Maps unique to the study of the Lincoln Telegrams during the Civil War.  Additionally, students will be able to demonstrate comprehension of how technology shapes the world during a peer-led discussion.

Activity:

Using Google Maps, students will track the distance between the sending and receiving points of the Lincoln telegrams.  Students will discuss the distance and speed that the messages traveled.  This would allow for a visual representation of where Lincoln's "voice" was being heard compared to past presidents.  Additionally, students will compare/contrast past methods of information transfer with the correspondence of the Lincoln telegrams.  The students will compare the time lapse between the sent and received telegrams to past and present methods of information transfer to conceptualize how the world has evolved and revolves around technology. 

Strategies for Differentiation:

Students will be able to create their own unique Google Map, with the chance to link pictures, video, primary sources, etc. to enhance their own understanding of the concept and tie the invention of the telegram with past and present technological advances.  Also, students with limited English proficiency will be able to work closely with ESL coordinators to assist in the comprehension of the material.  Complementing the in-class Socratic seminar, a web-based discussion forum will be provided so students who may not wish to verbally express their opinions and thoughts can do so via written anwers.

Teacher Input:

The teacher will provide access to the Media Center Specialists to ensure all students can proficiently navigate and use Google Maps.  Also, the teacher will ensure class time is allocated to reserving a Media Lab in order for all students to have access to a computer and sufficient time to complete the assignment.  The teacher will provide instruction and frontloading on how to use Google Maps and track the student’s progress during the project.

Key Questions:
1.  What made the invention of the telegraph so important to how people communicate?
 

2.  Why was President Lincoln called an innovator? 

 

3.  How did the telegraph change the structure of war?

4.  How does the telegraph compare with other methods of information transfer of the past and present?

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on their ability to create a Google Map via teacher-led instruction and continuous observation.  Students will present their Google Map to the class or post to a public Wiki page developed by the teacher.  Finally, students will engage in a Socratic seminar to discuss the effects of the invention of the telegraph and its importance to the Civil War as a new method of information transfer.  Additionally, students will discuss President Lincoln as an innovator and compare/contrast the telegraph to past and present methods of information dissemination.