TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY PROJECT
Lesson Title - The Impact of the Telegraph and Modern Society
By Spiro Mandes
Grade – 11th
Length of class period – 70 minutes (would also work in a shorter class period with minor
modification).
Inquiry – (What essential question are students answering, what problem are they solving, or
what decision are they making?)
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How has the way we communicate, what we communicate and how often we
communicate with people changed over the last 100+/- years?
How does the cost of communication compare and/or contrast from then to now.
Objectives (What content and skills do you expect students to learn from this lesson?)
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Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze a series of pictures and telegrams to
identify what kind of information people communicated to one another 100+/- years ago.
Students will analyze additional pictures of individuals communicating with each other
today to determine the kind of information modern society tends to communicate.
Working in small groups, students will analyze an excerpt from a primary source
document (by Thoreau) and later compare and contrast the cost of communication from
the 19th century and early 20th century and now.
Materials (What primary sources or local resources are the basis for this lesson?) – (please
attach)
1). The handouts titled "The Impact of the Telegraph on Modern Society". This portion of the
activity can be done on a Smart Board or overhead projector to save resources. If not,
print for handouts.
2). The "Telegraph's Impact on Society" worksheet (the Troy and Canada Junction Telegraph
Company is included here).
Activities (What will you and your students do during the lesson to promote learning?)
Step 1: Begin the class by writing the phrase "The History of Communication" on the board and
ask the class to write for 3 minutes about the various methods and type of information
people, groups, nations, etc. used to communicate to one another throughout history.
When complete, hold a whole-class discussion about these methods. Possible answers
might be personal runners/messengers, horse, The Pony Express, carrier pigeons,
email, texting, etc. Write list on board.
Step 2: Present the pictures and telegrams from the handouts titled "The Impact of the Telegraph
on Modern Society". A Smart Board or the use of an overhead projector can save on
resources. If unavailable, pass out a copy of the material for students to view. Instruct
each student to read the telegrams and identify what kind of information is being
relayed. Is it important? Is it urgent? Discuss quickly then move onto the other
telegrams.
Step 3: Place students into small groups (no more than 3 students per group). Pass out the
"Telegraph" worksheet and instruct the class to complete the questions. Please explain
that the Information from the Troy and Canada Junction Telegraph Company is
required to complete the second page of the worksheet.
Step 4: Bring the class back together again and discuss what the worksheet revealed. Please note
there is no information on current phone and text messaging plans. However, students
have a pretty good idea about the package plans available to them.
How will you assess what student learned during this lesson?
Students will be informally assessed through observation during the lesson and completion of
and discussion of the worksheet.
Connecticut Framework Performance Standards –
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formulate historical questions and hypotheses from multiple perspectives, using multiple sources;
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describe the multiple intersecting causes of events
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demonstrate an understanding of the ways that cultural encounters and the interactions of
people of different cultures in pre-modern as well as modern times have shaped new
identities and ways of life.
Name_________________________
Date__________________________
Period_________________________
The Telegraph’s Impact on Society
Answer the following questions with the information from today’s lesson, the excerpt from question 2
of this page and the Troy and Canada Junction Telegraph Co information for page 2 of this handout.
1). What kinds of events did people send telegraphs about?
2). Read the following from Henry Thoreau’s Walden”
“We are in a great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and
Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate…. As if the main object were to talk fast
and not talk sensibly… We are eager to tunnel under the Atlantic and bring the old world some
weeks nearer to the new; but perchance the first news that will leak into the broad flapping American
ear will be that Princess Adelaide has the whooping cough.”
a). Does Thoreau think that the telegraph is a good invention or a bad invention? Explain.
b). List two concerns Thoreau expressed in the above quote.
c) Fast-forward over a century later to today. Have Thoreau’s concerns become reality? Explain
d). Thoreau mentions “tunneling under the Atlantic,” referring to the trans-Atlantic cable which
allowed the U.S. to send telegraph messages to Europe. Does Thoreau believe Americans will
receive important news from Europe using the telegraph? Why or why not.
Directions: Look at the Troy and Canada Junction Telegraph Co. message. At the top of the page
there is a chart of rates for sending messages. Using this information, answer or complete the
following…
3). How many words are in the message (not including who it is to or from) _________
4). If the message was sent from Rutland to Middlebury, how much would it cost? ___________
5). If this message was sent from Rutland to St. John’s, how much would it cost? ___________
Read the following: Imagine that you live in Rutland and that you need to send a telegraph message.
What would you write and how much would it cost? Remember that the longer your message, the
more you have to pay and you are trying to NOT spend too much.
Scenario A- A friend of yours lives in Whitehall and you would like to visit her in a few days. You
will be going to Whitehall to buy some cloth for new dresses and you would like to know if she has
room for you to stay over for one night. What message would you send her and how much would it
cost?
Scenario B- Your cousin lives in Montreal and has sent you a message stating that your aunt is very
ill. He says the doctor thinks she will pass away soon. It is Monday, but you cannot leave Rutland
until Wednesday. What message do you send, and how much would it cost?
Scenario C- Now respond to both as if you were texting someone today.
Whitehall Message:
Montreal Message:
How much (approx.) would each text cost by today’s standard prices?
Think about the kinds of messages people send today. How do they compare and/or contrast to those
of a hundred years ago?