Creation of the Telegraph

Testing and Initial Construction

* Morse used $30,000 of taxpayer’s funds to conduct an experiment, testing the electric telegraph on a large scale.
* Though initially declined, this requested was granted in 1843, and Morse began the construction of a double wire between Washington D.C. and Baltimore.

American Development

* Creation of new Companies: American Telegraph Company, Western Union Telegraph Company, and Southwestern Telegraph companies.
* By the End of 1861, all of the Union’s major cities were interconnected using over 50,000 miles of telegraph cables.

Messages sent via Telegraph were written down on note cards such as this one and delivered to the recipient.

A Telegraph from the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Underwater Telegraph lines were created to facilitate international communication.

First Message Sent By The Telegraph

The first ever telegram message was "What Hath God Wrought" by Samuel Morse in 1844. Since then, the Telegram grew in popularity and connected the world.

Samuel Morse and the Telegraph: Connecting the World

Amol Budhiraja | National History Day 2021

Creation of the Telegraph

Testing and Initial Construction

American Development

First Message Sent By The Telegraph