Explain Electricity

Importance of Electricity

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Importance of Electricity in the U.S.

Electricity is a form of modern civilization. Affordable as well as reliable electricity is a fundamental aspect of modern life. Electricity helps people in the contemporary world in cleaning, lighting, cooling the homes during hot summer, food preservation, heating of homes in cold winter, and in the production or manufacturing sector. It also improves the digital life that people tap into their personal computers and smartphones. Electricity has dramatically transformed society, as well as the industry in the U.S. Electricity, has led to a powered-up America (Klein, 2010).

Ancient Americans used electricity for powering an increasing number of electrical devices. The modern world of electricity started with applications such as light bulb, telegraph, radio, television, and telephone. Today, it has been extended to many other household appliances. Electrons have most recently powered the digital age, leading to the creation of an instantaneously interlinked global civilization. Electricity has historically been known to power a large portion of the American economy (Nye, 1999).

Electricity also lit the dark corners of American society. Access to electricity leads to advanced and developed societies, and it is vital requirement for economic advancement in any country. Taylor and Ford were two great ancient revolutionists who pioneered the evolution of electricity in America. While Taylor worked with steam to industrial power machines for production, Ford lived in the electrical era. Taylor believed that machines could help to extend human power to improve the production process in factories. Ford, on the other hand, believed that machines had the power to accomplish things that men could not do. Ford perceived machines as powerful tools that not only extended the more excellent muscles but also the ear, eye, and the brain of humans. With the invention of electrical devices, new powers were achieved, which included scanning, welding and automatic control of operations (Nye, 1999). These devices also helped in the recording and amplification of human voice. The devices were also helpful in projecting motion pictures since they had individual frames that moved faster than the average human eye could follow. The electrical devices also rendered factories the domain of machine tools as well as skilled artisans, rather than hand tools (Jenkins, McCauley, Heffron, Stephan, & Rehner, 2016).

Electric lighting has also helped in transforming American society. Thomas Edison was among the greatest electricity pioneers. He worked tirelessly on electricity from his New Jersey laboratory in the year 1870. He is believed to be the most significant inventor of incandescent electric light bulbs and brought it into practical use during the year 1880. His electric light bulb was among the initial applications of electricity to contemporary life. Having worked with J.P Morgan initially, he paired his electric bulb with tiny generators to help light the American homes (Nye, 1999).

According to Freeberg (2013), the electric lighting system of Edison was fundamental to the growth of American society. It offered more secure lighting than the existing gas lamps that were risky. It was also more superior to other illumination forms. His invention of the electric lighting bulb was safe as well as coveted luxury. Cotton and flour mills later adopted electric lighting due to its safety and simplicity in handling. Artists and printers, as well as other professionals who needed a lot of accuracy in their work, also preferred using electric lighting to gaslighting (Freeberg, 2013).

Although the evolution of electricity was fundamental to economic development and the industrial revolution in America, all communities were not powered equally. Some people and communities were left behind, while others were more advanced in the use of electric technology. For instance, people in rural America were not quick to adopt electricity technology due to lack of factories for production. Most of flour and cotton mills were located in urban areas, thus creating a significant gap in the adoption of electricity.

References

Freeberg, E. (2013). The Age of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America. London, England: Penguin.

Jenkins, K., McCauley, D., Heffron, R., Stephan, H., & Rehner, R. (2016). Energy justice: A conceptual review. Energy Research & Social Science, 11, 174-182. doi:10.1016/j.erss.2015.10.004

Klein, M. (2010). The Power Makers: Steam, Electricity, and the Men Who Invented Modern America. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing, USA.

Nye, D. E. (1999). Consuming Power: A Social History of American Energies. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.