Samuel Morse Essay

Morse remains as one of the most influential figures of American history because he contributed to society by creating the Inglewood electric telegraph. Samuel Morse was born in Charleston, Massachusetts on April 27,1791. As a young boy, Samuel lived with his parents and two older brothers. Although hi s academic skills were just mediocre, his ability to draw was outstanding. Samuel wanted to pursue a career in art but his father opposed and strongly urged him to focus on school. He graduated from Yale and become a clerk at a local bookstore.

Eventually, Samuels father reversed his decision and allowed him to study art. He traveled to England and studied with the renowned artist Benjamin West. After four ears, he went back to America and opened up a studio in Boston. ” But when Morse returned to the United States in 1815, Americans did not have a taste for such large history paintings. (Gambling 2). They attracted a lot of attention but nobody would buy them. Samuel wanted to increase the respect for painters so he founded the National Academy of Design in New York. There, his painting Gallery Of the Louvre was displayed in public.

By presenting Americans with a dazzling showcase of great art he would be doing in miniature what domestic art museum, were there one, should do. ” , (Stain 5). Samuel expected his dents to study and copy the paintings provided at the Academy. Slowly, the American interest in historical art gradually increased. Without Samuel Morse, the people of the U. S. May have never found the beauty in art. As people began experimenting with different type Of methods to transfer messages, Morse dropped his focus on painting and directed it toward electricity.

He was motif dated to create the telegraph due to the delayed and sudden news of his wife’s death. Morse was listening to a friend and he talked about electromagnetism. “l see no reason why intelligence might not be instantaneously transmitted by electricity to NY distance. “, (Stain). He immediately jotted down notes for a future model. Morsel’s final outcome was a singletree telegraph. It used a send, repeater and receiver. The main component of the machine was the use Of Morse Code. Morse Code is a series Of dots and slashes that can be translated into letters, numbers and phrases.

A skilled operator can reach Upton forty words per minute. As the invention goes public, many people began to fight for the telegraph patent. “Morse was immediately involved in legal claims by his partner and by rival inventors. ” (Maybe 8). Although the invention was impressive, I do not understand why people are desperate to win prizes. Morsel’s main rival was Pain. They attacked each other with lawsuits and accusations. One of the examples was that Pain tried to claim that Morse copied the idea of using dots and slashes from a Swedish person named Swain.

Samuel quickly displaced this by saying Swain did not intend to use it as a form of communication. After a while, the electric telegraph patent went to Samuel Morse. Then the Congress funds $30,000 to construct a forty mile telegraph line that connects Washington to Baltimore. Samuel makes a public demonstration and types into the telegraph. What hath God wrought? ‘. These words officially open the first telegraph lines made. The Morse Telegraph quickly spreads around the world, greatly impacting their lives.

Australia, Europe and India eventually made their own telegraph lines. Morse became instantly famous and he was rewarded by many nations for his “acts and contributions to the scientific community”. A submarine telegraph was built and connected Ireland to Newfoundland. The queen of England tested it and also gave him a medal. The whole world was grateful for his invention and it changed how everybody lived. Anybody could send assuages around the world in just a matter Of minutes. But then the telephone was invented a few decades later.

As the telegraph rage went down, people began to remember Samuel Morse as a painter instead of a inventor. Although he opposed against this, he was still happy and spent his vast amount of money on his house. It overlooked a farm, stream and forest. The rest of his life was mainly quiet and pampered. Morse died in New York City on April 2, 1872. As of today, Samuel Morse is still recognized as the founder and creator of the electric telegraph. It greatly changed the world and slowly evolved to en we know today.