The focus of this dissertation is the industrial and institutional organization of the telegraph industry in the United States from 1838 to 1868. It contributes to the understanding of how network technologies develop and are regulated at both the state and federal levels.

This dissertation examines the early history of American minimum wage legislation. Chapter 2, the first substantive chapter, examines the twenty eight state laws passed prior to 1938. It is shown that most of these laws were ineffective. Typically the minimum rate was set below the market wage,...