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UNIT I - TEACHER SHEET
 Objectives:
After reading the background information and using the Activity Sheets
in this unit, students will be able to:
¨ Explain what the National Road was.
¨ Identify the course
of the National Road and associated points on a map.
¨ Explain why the National Road was built.
Materials:
(2) National Road Maps
(2) Unit I Activity Sheets
Crayons, Markers, or Colored Pencils
String or Ruler
Pencils
Background:
The National Road (officially called the Cumberland Road, and also
known as the National Pike and the Old Pike) was the first and only
US road built entirely with federal funds. Construction of the road
began in Cumberland, Maryland, in 1811 and was completed to Wheeling,
Virginia, (now West Virginia) in 1818. The National Road was eventually
built into Vandalia, Illinois.
Early paths, trails, and rivers in the Pennsylvania area had been drawing
people west for many years. In 1752, Thomas Cresap and his Delaware
Native American guide, Nemacolin, working for the Ohio Company, had
marked a route from Cumberland on the Potomac River to the Monongahela
River at present day Brownsville.
In 1754, Lt. Col. George Washington and his Virginia troops widened
this trail and built a crude road for use by supply wagons. During his
campaign against the French, he was forced to surrender his small fort
in what came to be known as the Battle of Fort Necessity near present
day Farmington, Pennsylvania. This was the opening battle of the French
and Indian War.
In 1755, British and Colonial troops, led by Major General Edward Braddock
and accompanied by George Washington, were again in the area. They widened
and improved Washington's road. General Braddock, defeated by the French,
was wounded during battle and died on July 13th. He was buried in an
unmarked grave in the middle of the road that bears his name. In 1804
his grave was discovered and Braddock's remains were moved to a nearby
knoll. Today a monument marks the burial site.
Although these early roads followed different paths than the National
Road, their existence created a precedence for the building of the National
Road. In addition to these precursor trails, the National Road was facilitated
by several actions. In 1796, Ebenezer Zane was permitted to open a road
from Wheeling, Virginia, through Ohio to Limestone, Kentucky. This road
greatly aided in the settling of Ohio. In 1802, the Enabling Act provided
for Ohio's admittance into the Union and for a method to pay for a much
needed road.
Politicians had been urging the building of a road for years. Henry
Clay, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Gallatin each felt that the road
would improve trade between the east and the emerging western frontier.
Additionally, it was feared that trade with western territories might
be lost to England in Canada or Spain in the Louisiana Territory. To
help bind the nation together, a good road was needed.
Provisions of the Enabling Act stated that public land in Ohio would
be sold to settlers and that 5% of these moneys would be set aside for
the construction of a road from the east through Ohio. In 1806, President
Thomas Jefferson signed an act to establish the National Road from Cumberland
to Wheeling.
Travelers often left the National Road to continue their journey via
rivers. River travel was smoother for passengers and freight was more
easily transported.
Supplemental Activities:
1. Use a map of the United States to talk about westward expansion.
Relevant Site Information:
Friendship Hill National Historic Site, the home of Albert Gallatin, one
of the fathers of the National Road;
Fort Necessity National Battlefield, which includes the reconstructed
fort, Braddock's Road, Braddock's Grave, and Jumonville Glen
(For more information see the Site Resource List.)
Activity Answers:
Unit I A
7. Distance and mountains
8. Takes less time; aids in getting over mountains; clears a path free
of trees and rocks; provides a marked route
Unit I B
2. About 75 miles or so on the map (total about 90) 3. Rivers were usually
smoother and faster. |
