Rewrite due Mon. Feb. 28
1. Pick one technology (eg. steamboats, textile mills…) and discuss three ways in which that particular technology had to be adapted to suit American needs and environment (including cultural as well as natural environment). At least one of your three topics must focus on social and/or political issues (you may include economic issues relating to where the funding came from). Draw a conclusion about how technologies change to fit the environment in which they are used.
2. Consider the following table of the number
of patents granted annually by the U.S. Patent Office:
|
1840 |
1860 |
1880 |
1900 |
1920 |
1940 |
1960 |
1980 |
|
477 |
4,412 |
13,712 |
28,139 |
40,819 |
48,385 |
54,867 |
87,206 |
What happened between 1840 and 1900 to cause the number of patents to grow so rapidly? Rather than trying to cover everything, pick two to four key changes to discuss.