Why did it take more than a week for the news of President Lincoln’s assassination to reach Britain? A. The transatlantic cable was not functional at that time. B. The news was not published in American newspapers. C. The ship carrying the cable met with rough weather. D. British newspapers had initially refused to publish the news. E. Newspapers were slow to report the news.

History · Middle School · Thu Feb 04 2021

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A. The transatlantic cable was not functional at that time.

When President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, news could not travel instantaneously as it does today. During that time, the primary method of international communication was the transatlantic telegraph cable. However, by the time of Lincoln's assassination, the cable that had been laid in 1858 had ceased to function effectively, and a new one would not be successfully laid until 1866. Therefore, with the telegraph cable down, the only way to convey news across the Atlantic was by ship. This significantly delayed the delivery of news, as it would take a ship several days to cross the ocean and associated logistical time to distribute the news upon arrival.

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