Influence of Government on American Technological Development - Literature review Example

Influence of Government on American Technological Development The technological development of the United s is one of the greatest success stories in the world and this is mainly because of its government’s direct and indirect involvement as it encouraged individuals and institutions to create new and useful technology. From the time when the nation gained its independence, the American government has been a reliable partner in the development of technology in many ways and these have been mainly through its efforts to safeguard the interests of the nation. The ability of inventors in the United States to have government support is among the reasons why the country has been able to produce the largest number of technologies in the known history of the world. It is most likely that this country will continue to be the leader in technological development in the years to come because it has established a base which other countries will find difficult to surpass. The United States has had no shortage of inventors over the last two hundred years and during this time, the government worked towards encouraging more individuals to make their inventions public through the passage of laws which favored inventors as well as allowing them to have significant rights, albeit for a limited period, over their inventions. One of the reasons why the government has had either a direct or indirect hand in technological development has been to ensure that the country is not only a leader in the field, but also to reduce its dependence on imported technology. The government of the United States became partially involved in technological development as a result of the turmoil in Europe that took place several years after the nation gained independence. Most of the technology that the United States possessed at the time was imported from Europe but these imports tended to be compromised as a result of the Napoleonic wars which took place in the early nineteenth century. Therefore, in order to safeguard the industries, which relied heavily on technology, the government encouraged the domestic production of the technology that was needed for its industries (Nye 11). Among the reasons why the United States came to develop its own technology was because of the low number of individuals in the country who were available to provide labor for the various local industries. Moreover, the number of immigrants to the country, while relatively high, still could not satisfy the demand for labor and this more than anything encouraged the development of technology which would take up some of the tasks which were reserved for human beings (Smith and Clancey 3). The wages given to laborers in the United States tended to be relatively higher than those given on the European continent and this was as a result of the shortage of labor. The development of new technology, with government encouragement, led to a reduction in the cost of labor and also encouraged the lowering of the cost of production, helping in the availability of cheaper and affordable goods in the local market (Nye 18). The government seems to have realized that with the development of local technology, the United States would not only cease to be an importer of manufactured goods from Europe, but it would also emerge as one of the biggest exporters of similar goods to the European market. From its beginnings, specifically in the late eighteenth century, the United States was a unique technological hub that was waiting to put its mark on the world. This is because its people, being of European origin and having retained their ties with the continent, had come to be significantly influenced by the industrial revolution (Nye 13). Moreover, they developed strong institutions, such as laws and style of doing business, which proved to be the starting point of the technological development of the United States. The laws concerning property rights that were that were developed in the United States ensured that a large number of individuals in the country were encouraged to make inventions because they knew that their rights to them were protected. The government worked hard to guarantee the property rights of these individuals because it was realized that to do so would be an incentive for more technology to be developed and put into use for the purpose of securing the domestic industrial base (Smith and Clancey 183). Moreover, despite the bitter war for independence that had been fought some decades earlier, the United States government did not encourage a hostile attitude towards European colonial powers among its citizens and on the contrary, American inventors tended to keep in constant contact with their European peers (Pursell 36). The result was that knowledge concerning new technological developments in either Europe or the United States was often transmitted across the Atlantic through these correspondences and this also helped in the technological growth of the country. One of the inventions which found its way to the United States was that of the textile mill and this came to be developed in the country starting in New England. Because of the huge natural resources as well as available labor in the United States, American entrepreneurs were able to establish working textile mills which helped in the growth of the country’s textile industry (Pursell 89). Therefore, based on their own and European inventions, the inventors in the United States were able to further develop them into better working and uniquely American technologies which were able to help in the industrial development of the country at such an early time after independence (Smith and Clancey 364). Moreover, in the early nineteenth century, the American government, despite its desire to see the country fully industrialized as soon as possible, tended not to interfere with the work of the various inventors and instead, it took a hands off approach to many of the technological development that took place in the country, thus ensuring that all technological advances either succeeded or failed according to their own merit. This non-interference with technological development allowed for the independence necessary for the creation of strong and sustainable technologies which facilitated the growth of American industries for many years afterwards (Nye 19). The development of infrastructure based on the natural resources such as rivers enabled the transportation of goods from the east into the western parts of the country and these were further facilitated by the construction of canals (Pursell 66). The American government policy towards technology ensured the swift growth of the industrial sector in the country and allowed for the creation of wealth and opportunities for its population. This was a feat that had never before been accomplished by any other nation and established the United States as a global industrial power. It is as a result of its industrial might that this country was able to turn the tide in both the First and Second world wars and ensure that it became one of the two global superpowers. It was during the interwar and after World War II that the government came to have a direct hand in the technological development of the country. The government had a direct hand in the development of nuclear technology which resulted in the creation of the atom bomb that was used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II (Pursell 271). It is from this new technology that nuclear energy came to be developed and it became a significant part of satisfying the energy needs not only of the United States but also of Europe as well. The rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War resulted in unprecedented competition between these two countries as each attempted to outdo the other in the creation of more advanced technology (Smith and Clancey 451). The government directly sponsored or created institutions such as The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), whose main purpose was to ensure that new or more advanced technologies were designed to ensure that the country remained the leader in technological advancement in the world (Pursell 276). The space and arms races between the two global superpowers helped in the development of technologies which had never before been seen in history and while some of these inventions, such as nuclear weapons were dangerous, they depicted the epitome of human development (Smith and Clancey 428). The government involvement in technological development allowed for the United States to win the Cold War and remain the dominant technological power in the world with few countries able to match it (Pursell 339). The government of the United States has been a player in the technological development of the country either through taking hands off approach or directly sponsoring projects which lead to new technologies that are useful for the entire nation. As has been seen above, the government became partially involved in technological development as a result of the turmoil in Europe that took place several years after the nation gained independence. It encouraged the creation of local technology to compensate for the lower amounts of manufactured goods that tended to come to the United States from Europe during such conflicts despite the high demand for them. From its beginnings, especially in the later eighteenth century, the United States was a unique technological hub that was waiting to put its mark on the world and one of the inventions which found its way to the United States, from Britain, was that of the textile mill, which helped to revolutionize its textile industry. Finally, it was beginning in the interwar period that the government came to have a direct hand in the technological development of the country. Works Cited Pursell, Carroll. The Machine in America: A Social History of Technology, 2nd edition. Baltimore, Maryland: JHU Press, 2007. Print. Nye, David E. America as Second Creation: Technology and Narratives of New Beginnings. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 2003. Print. Smith, Merritt, and Clancey, Roe Gregory K. Major Problems in the History of American Technology: Documents and Essays. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. Print. Read More