Roads
Roads were one of the earliest improvements for transportation during the Transportation Revolution. Roads made traveling overland easier; before, wagons and carts would travel on rugged dirt paths that made travel uncomfortable and slow. During rainy days, wagons would get stuck in the mud and the journey to wherever they needed to go would have to wait. With the making of roads, these inconvenient factors were eliminated. Traveling was much smoother and quicker, with no mud, ditches, or bumps to slow down the trip.
In 1794, a private company created the Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike - a broad, paved highway that had reflected similar turnpikes in Europe. The word "turnpike" originated because as the driver approached the tollgate, they were faced with a barrier with sharp spikes that was turned aside when they paid their toll. Resulting from the completion of the Lancaster Turnpike was a turnpike-building boom that lasted almost 20 years. Money needed to build the turnpikes was mainly supplied by state governments, but in some cases, by individuals. By 1821, nearly 4,000 miles worth of turnpikes had been made, with a majority of them connecting the eastern cities.
In 1794, a private company created the Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike - a broad, paved highway that had reflected similar turnpikes in Europe. The word "turnpike" originated because as the driver approached the tollgate, they were faced with a barrier with sharp spikes that was turned aside when they paid their toll. Resulting from the completion of the Lancaster Turnpike was a turnpike-building boom that lasted almost 20 years. Money needed to build the turnpikes was mainly supplied by state governments, but in some cases, by individuals. By 1821, nearly 4,000 miles worth of turnpikes had been made, with a majority of them connecting the eastern cities.
The National Road
The National Road, also known as the Cumberland Road (and in many places known as Route 40), was the first major highway in the US funded by the federal government. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson agreed that a trans-Appalachian road was necessary for unifying the growing country. In 1806, Congress authorized construction of the road and President Jefferson signed the act that established the National Road.
The project began in 1811 and was completed by 1852 with a combination of federal and state aid (different states obtained ownership of segments of the highway). The highway stretched from Cumberland, in western Maryland, to Vandalia, in Illinois. Plans were made to continue through St. Louis, at the joining of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, and to Jefferson City, upstream on the Missouri River, but the Panic of 1837 (a US financial crisis) led to dry funding, and construction stopped at Vandalia.
Different names for the National Road:
The project began in 1811 and was completed by 1852 with a combination of federal and state aid (different states obtained ownership of segments of the highway). The highway stretched from Cumberland, in western Maryland, to Vandalia, in Illinois. Plans were made to continue through St. Louis, at the joining of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, and to Jefferson City, upstream on the Missouri River, but the Panic of 1837 (a US financial crisis) led to dry funding, and construction stopped at Vandalia.
Different names for the National Road:
- The National Road
- Cumberland Road
- The National Pike
- The Main Street of America
Sources used:
The Transportation Revolution from APStudyNotes (website)
The American People Creating a Nation and a Society (Textbook)
Back in Time: The National Road (website)
The Transportation Revolution from APStudyNotes (website)
The American People Creating a Nation and a Society (Textbook)
Back in Time: The National Road (website)