Telegraph to TV
Technology's effect on the past
One connection between the Civil War, Civil Rights Movement, and Vatican II is that they all had great advances on technology and used it to their advantage.
Civil War
Weapons
Railroads
The North had an advantage with the railroad system, they had about 22,000 miles of track while the South only had about 9,000. The North used railroads to move troops and supplies from one place to another.
Cameras
Telegraphs
Civil Rights Movement
Television
News Media
Vatican II
Vatican II was the first council to use things like electric lighting and telephones. Vatican I began in 1869 when none of those things had been invented. The media kept up with what was happening at Vatican II very closely which allowed people to bring the Church into their homes though things like television.
Vatican II produced some very important statements about science and technology. The Council came to recognize technology not as "devices of the devil" but as something that is helpful to humanity.
How would these events have changed if technology was different?
- What would happen if we didn't have pictures of the Civil War?
- What if there was no media coverage of the Civil Rights Movement or Vatican II?
- What if Abraham Lincoln was not able to use a telegraph? Would it have affected the outcome of the war?
- What if they were not able to transport weapons and soldiers by railroads during the Civil War?
- What technology do we have now that could have affected these past events?