The National Road (The Road and American Culture) Hardcover – July 24, 1996

by Karl B. Raitz (Editor)

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In 1808, according to a report to Congress issued by Jefferson's treasury secretary Albert Gallatin, the most efficient way to ship goods from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia was by water: down the Monongahela River to the Ohio, then down the Mississippi to New Orleans, around the tip of Florida and up the Atlantic Coast. By this route, the two Pennsylvania towns were more than 3,000 miles apart; by land, the distance was 280. Clearly, Gallatin argued, the United States needed a road―a National Road.

This comprehensive, authoritative, and richly illustrated volume offers a sweeping overview of the project that shaped the geography and history of the United States by uniting East and West―and, ultimately, dividing North and South. With its companion volume, A Guide to the National Road, it describes the origins, evolution, and meaning of the National Road for American culture, economics, and patterns of settlement.

As the first federally funded and planned national highway in America, the National Road was intended to forge critical transportation links between established East Coast cities and an emerging frontier west of the Appalachians, in the old Northwest Territory. Begun in 1808 in Cumberland, Maryland, the Road's first segment reached Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1818. By 1850 the Road had been extended to its formal western terminus in Vandalia, the Illinois state capital. From there two routes went west toward the Mississippi River, one to East St. Louis and the other to Alton, Illinois. (Today the Road's path is followed, for the most part, by U.S. 40 and I-70.)

Paradoxically, the authors explain, the National Road was both obsolete and premature from the time it was built―obsolete because the emerging technology of the railroad would soon offer a far more efficient means of overland transportation; and premature because the technology that could make efficient use of an improved road network―the automobile―was nearly a century away.

In the end, the Road never quite reached the banks of the Mississippi, and never, in the period between 1808 and 1850, did a good road, complete and in good repair, exist between Cumberland and Vandalia. But in the antebellum period, the Road represented the central government's power to open the West, and the power of nineteenth-century Americans to define themselves as a continental people. Travelers who follow their path today―along the National Road or other U.S. highways―owe much to their pioneering efforts.

Print length

424 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date

July 24, 1996
Reading age

18 years and up
Dimensions

8.75 x 1.5 x 10.25 inches
ISBN-10

0801851556
ISBN-13

978-0801851551
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Editorial Reviews

Review

We learn about the National Road and its historical significane, we are familiarized with the landscapes of this part of the United States, but we are also given a strong insight into an American way of life. This is most certainly a work to be recommended.

(David Herbert Geography)

A first-rate demonstration of current thinking in cultural and landscape geography, and an excellent celebration of America's tradition of being on the move.

(Thomas F. McIlwraith Pennsylvania History)

About the Author

Karl Raitz is professor of geography at the University of Kentucky. He is editor-in-chief of the two-volume National Road series and has edited or coauthored many books, including Theater of Sport, also available from Johns Hopkins.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Johns Hopkins University Press (July 24, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 424 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0801851556
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0801851551
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.14 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.75 x 1.5 x 10.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #670,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #386 in Landscape Architecture (Books)
- #3,885 in Technology (Books)
- #6,318 in Transportation (Books)

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John Prine is my co-pilot

Know Your History

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2021

Verified Purchase

Great book on the beginnings of the u.s. national highway grid. The great national road from 1800-1840. After driving on U.S. 40 in the early 1980s I was aware of some of it's history but not the involved and complicated history the author presents..

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Bea

Interesting history

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2017

Verified Purchase

Lots of history, including the social impacts and influences that shaped the road during both building and expansion periods. Interesting. Not really a "guidebook", but rather reasons the road exists. Very interesting reading.

One person found this helpful

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Brownhair1

Interesting book

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

Just the book I was looking for...good condition...thanks!

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Amazon Customer

"The National Road"

Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

Already owning the companion "A Guide To The National Road," I found this book quite interesting on the history and development of the Road, but I would like more information on the highway into which it developed, U.S. 40, from when I was growing up in the pre-Interstate days.

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Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2018

Verified Purchase

gift and very well liked

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decmindmend

Most informative of all my National Road books.

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2011

Verified Purchase

I have purchased a number of books about the National (Cumberland) Road. This book has the most
information about the politics and challenges of building the road. It is easy to read and very
well organized. Strongly recommend it.

9 people found this helpful

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The National Road (The Road and American Culture) Hardcover – July 24, 1996

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