US Events

Invention of the Telegraph

Samuel Morse showed in 1835 that signals could be transported by wire while working as a professor of arts and designs at New York University. Pulses of current deflected an electromagnet, causing a marker to produce lines on paper. Eight years later, Congress funded money for the construction of an experimental line between Washington and Baltimore. The line was officially opened with the sending of the message, "What hath God wrought?" Telegraph companies were soon constructing lines across the nation, typically along the railroads.


The invention of the telegraph began an era of fast national and international communication. Being used to instantaneous communication, we can understand the importance of such an innovation. Communication continues to be an important and ever-changing field. Today, we are still working to connect more and more of our devices to provide us with constant up-to-date information and to give more people around the world access to the communication systems we enjoy.


Mexican-American War


After the U.S. annexed Texas in 1845, Mexico claimed that the Nueces River formed the boundary between the two nations, while the U.S. claimed it was the Rio Grande. President James K. Polk sent troops to the disputed land, and they were attacked by Mexican troops in April 1846. This gave Congress the chance to declare war. Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott invaded Mexico. The war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in which Mexico ceded nearly all of present-day New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Texas and Colorado for $15,000,000. The war reopened the slavery-extension issue that had been settled by the Missouri Compromise.


Mexico lost a lot of its best land as a result of the war, and the nation lost internal stability. Even today the country remains behind in development and economic progress. The relationship between the U.S and Mexico is still a bit strained, partly due to the problem of illegal immigrants from Mexico entering the U.S.


In other areas of the world, land disputes continue to be major issues of contention. The dispute between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is one conflict that has yet to be resolved, with the Palestinians desiring to govern lands that Israel claims as its own. The division of North and South Korea is another international issue, recently highlighted by an attack on a South Korean island by North Korea. It is hard to say how long the armistice left over from the Korean War will last.

Locations of some land-disputes today.