A Road for Transportation
The National Road refers to a highway constructed with the authorization of the U.S. government in the early 19th century that eventually connected the eastern seaboard with the Ohio River Valley and points west. It is also called the Cumberland Road and the National Pike. It started as a proposal in Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin's plan for the federal government to support internal improvements in 1808. The state governments paid for the road's
construction from which most of the financing came from Ohio, whose 1803 state charter included a stipulation that the federal government and the state would share in the cost of road construction. Five percent of all proceeds from public land sales in Ohio were set aside from the construction of roads. Of this amount, Congress spent two-fifths, and the rest on the Ohio legislature.
Construction began in 1811 in Cumberland, Maryland, along an old military road used in the French and Indian War. The road connected to the privately built Baltimore Pike, providing a link to coastal roads. By 1818, the National Road went through western Pennsylvania to Wheeling, Virginia. By 1833, it had reached Vandalia, Illinois. The road spurred western expansion and commerce, improving the ability of pioneers to travel through the Appalachian Mountains to the fertile river valleys and plains to the west. Towns boomed with new taverns, blacksmiths, stables, and other businesses to aid travelers. By 1820 the road had become an important link between the steamboat trade of the Ohio River Valley and the East Coast.
All the internal improvements increased between 1808 and 1825 because of the Embargo of 1807 and the War of 1812. Federal support for internal improvements from 1816 to 1825 by national political leaders such as Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. However, Madison was a steadfast opponent of federally funded roads and canals on constitutional grounds. James Monroe also disliked the idea about the constitutionality of such projects. In 1817, this issue became prominent when Madison vetoed the Bonus Bill, which would have provided federal funds for new roads and canals around the country. In 1822, Monroe vetoed a bill to provide national funding for road repairs, but in his veto Monroe also indicated that he would accept federal support for roads as long as the plans met with approval from the states that the roads cut across. In 1824 he signed the General Survey Act authorizing extensive federal plans for road and canal projects. Under this Act, Congress approved to extend the National Road across Illinois and the Mississippi River to central Missouri.
The National Road helped thousands of travelers heading west over the Allegheny Mountains to settle the rich lands of the Ohio River Valley. Small towns along the road's path began to grow with the increase in population. Towns evolved into commercial centers of business and industry. Uniontown was the headquarters for three major stagecoach lines carrying passengers over the National Road. Brownsville, on the Monongahela River, was a center for steamboat building and river-freight hauling. During the heyday of the National Road, traffic was heavy throughout the day and into the early evening. Almost every kind of vehicle could be seen on the road. The two most common vehicles were the stagecoach and the Conestoga wagon. By the early 1850s, technology was changing the way people traveled. As the traffic quickly declined, many taverns went out of business. The National Road became part of U.S. 40 highway in 1926.
Karmel, James R. "National Road." In Rohrbough, Malcolm J., and Gary B. Nash, eds. Encyclopedia of American History: Expansion and Reform, 1813 to 1855, Revised Edition (Volume IV). New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.aspItemID=WE52&iPin=EAHIV171&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 9, 2013).
construction from which most of the financing came from Ohio, whose 1803 state charter included a stipulation that the federal government and the state would share in the cost of road construction. Five percent of all proceeds from public land sales in Ohio were set aside from the construction of roads. Of this amount, Congress spent two-fifths, and the rest on the Ohio legislature.
Construction began in 1811 in Cumberland, Maryland, along an old military road used in the French and Indian War. The road connected to the privately built Baltimore Pike, providing a link to coastal roads. By 1818, the National Road went through western Pennsylvania to Wheeling, Virginia. By 1833, it had reached Vandalia, Illinois. The road spurred western expansion and commerce, improving the ability of pioneers to travel through the Appalachian Mountains to the fertile river valleys and plains to the west. Towns boomed with new taverns, blacksmiths, stables, and other businesses to aid travelers. By 1820 the road had become an important link between the steamboat trade of the Ohio River Valley and the East Coast.
All the internal improvements increased between 1808 and 1825 because of the Embargo of 1807 and the War of 1812. Federal support for internal improvements from 1816 to 1825 by national political leaders such as Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. However, Madison was a steadfast opponent of federally funded roads and canals on constitutional grounds. James Monroe also disliked the idea about the constitutionality of such projects. In 1817, this issue became prominent when Madison vetoed the Bonus Bill, which would have provided federal funds for new roads and canals around the country. In 1822, Monroe vetoed a bill to provide national funding for road repairs, but in his veto Monroe also indicated that he would accept federal support for roads as long as the plans met with approval from the states that the roads cut across. In 1824 he signed the General Survey Act authorizing extensive federal plans for road and canal projects. Under this Act, Congress approved to extend the National Road across Illinois and the Mississippi River to central Missouri.
The National Road helped thousands of travelers heading west over the Allegheny Mountains to settle the rich lands of the Ohio River Valley. Small towns along the road's path began to grow with the increase in population. Towns evolved into commercial centers of business and industry. Uniontown was the headquarters for three major stagecoach lines carrying passengers over the National Road. Brownsville, on the Monongahela River, was a center for steamboat building and river-freight hauling. During the heyday of the National Road, traffic was heavy throughout the day and into the early evening. Almost every kind of vehicle could be seen on the road. The two most common vehicles were the stagecoach and the Conestoga wagon. By the early 1850s, technology was changing the way people traveled. As the traffic quickly declined, many taverns went out of business. The National Road became part of U.S. 40 highway in 1926.
Karmel, James R. "National Road." In Rohrbough, Malcolm J., and Gary B. Nash, eds. Encyclopedia of American History: Expansion and Reform, 1813 to 1855, Revised Edition (Volume IV). New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.aspItemID=WE52&iPin=EAHIV171&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 9, 2013).