Life with New Technology
 Steelworks |
Advances in transportation and communication technology changed daily life. During Southern reconstruction, there was a need for steel to rebuild bridges and structures. There was also a need for steel to build the railroad. Steel is lighter and stronger than iron. It bends rather than breaks. Carbon is added to melted iron and impurities removed to make steel. It was an in-demand resource. Both William Kelly in America and Henry Bessemer in England developed a method to mass produce steel. Henry Bessemer had the process patented in America before Kelly so the process became known as the Bessemer Process.
 Bell’s Telegraph patent |
A patent is an official document granting federal government rights to an inventor to make, use, or sell an invention. Congress established the position of Superintendent of Patents to issue government patents in 1802. The Federal Patent and Trademark Office was established as a separate entity from the Department of State in 1836. Presently, it is an entity of the Department of Commerce. Inventors submit their invention plans and a patent officer examines the plans to determine if the inventor is entitled to a patent. Patent officers issued over 500,000 patents between 1860 and 1890.
 Alexander Graham Bell |
Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized communication during this time. Bell was working with hearing-impaired people when he developed a machine that allowed sound waves to travel across a wire as an electrical current. His machine was patented in 1876. Like the railroad, Bell’s telephone allowed families to stay in touch. It allowed messages to get from one point to another almost instantaneously.
