2019 STAAR

* In 1844, Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail sent the first telegraph message between Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland

* In 1861, Western Union laid the first transcontinental telegraph line

* In 1866, the first permanent telegraph cable was laid across the Atlantic Ocean

What impact did this innovation have on daily life?

• It increased the regional differences among various groups of people across the country

• It became a major method of long-distance communication for many years

• It allowed people to sign legal documents from across the country

• it was the government's only method to negotiate with foreign leaders