The National Road (later called the Cumberland Road) was the first major federal response to the growing demand in the early nineteenth century for surfaced roads to facilitate westward travel. It ultimately ran from Baltimore, Maryland, through Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana, to Illinois. In 1806 Congress approved the route for the first section, largely along an Indian trail; it ran westward from the end of the Baltimore Turnpike in Cumberland, Maryland, to Wheeling, in western Virginia, where travelers could board ships on the Ohio River. Planning began in 1806, but contracts were not granted until 1811, and because of delays associated with the War of 1812, construction did not begin until 1815. The road reached Wheeling in 1818.

Sectional feelings on national road building ran high. Easterners had no particular interest in facilitating travel to and from the West, and the southern states were increasingly committed to state rather than federal action. But westerners pressed for improvements no single state could finance. Henry Clay of Kentucky became their champion in 1824 when he proposed the American System--a combination of protective tariffs and internal improvements intended to build a strong domestic network of industry and trade. Largely through Clay's efforts, the National Road was extended to Columbus, Ohio, in 1833.

From the start, some questioned whether federal involvement in such projects was constitutional. President James Monroe, who believed it was not, vetoed an 1822 bill to establish tolls and use the funds for repairs. President Andrew Jackson dealt with this controversy by turning the completed sections of the road over to the states, permitting them to finance repairs through tolls.

In 1850 the National Road reached Vandalia, Illinois, but before it could reach St. Louis, railroad construction had become the new national priority. In the years that followed, the road lost importance, until automobile travel brought it back into use as part of U.S. Route 40. Then in 1940, with the opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Route 40, too, became less significant.

See also Transportation Revolution.

The Reader's Companion to American History, Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, Editors, published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.