Week 8
Monday
READ Crowley & Heyer pp. 121–129
What conditions in France justified the expense required to maintain Chappe's telegraph network? Why was it expensive? What is the point made about hardware and software? To what extent did other countries adopt an optical telegraph system? What was the key advantage of a telegraph over other forms of communication available at the time?
Wednesday
READ Crowley & Heyer pp. 150–155
What is the relationship of the telegraph to the use of the words "communication" and "transportation"? How does this indicate a change in the way people thought, and why did that change occur? What is the relationship between the telegraph and the railroad? How did profit-making change after the telegraph, and why did it change? What is sold in the futures market? Could a futures market exist without electric speed? Why or why not?