Made Possible
by a Grant from
Parks as Classrooms
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UNIT VI - TEACHER SHEET
 Objectives:
After reading the background information and using the Activity Sheets
in this unit, students will be able to:
¨ Describe how the National Road contributed
to growth and expansion into the west.
¨ List some of the jobs that developed along
the National Road.
Materials:
(2) Unit VI Activity Sheets
Pencils
Background:
The National Road contributed to many changes in the areas through
which it passed. It also helped in the growth of the young United States.
Along and at the end of the road, communities and towns arose and grew,
both to make use of the National Road and cater to the traffic.
Services needed to be provided and jobs filled. Tavern keepers, blacksmiths,
coach and wagon makers, and horse breeders, among other occupations,
increased in number. Coach making was one job performed in Uniontown,
Pennsylvania.
Farmers and merchants also could use the road. Produce could be taken
cheaply and easily east to market, and manufactured goods likewise could
be shipped west to be sold in the growing communities.
Emigrants used the National Road to move west, thus fueling the growth
of communities and increasing the production of resources. Travel on
the road was not easy, and journeys were long, bumpy, hazardous, and
uncomfortable. But Americans wanted to move west for land and opportunities.
The National Road, as one of the major routes west, could help them
get there.
In 1852 the Pennsylvania Railroad reached Pittsburgh and in 1853, the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Wheeling, Virginia. Because it was
faster, less expensive and more comfortable to ride the train, use of
the National Road declined. In the early 1900’s, use of the automobile
increased, and there was a need for well built roads. In 1926, the National
Road became part of US Route 40, an interstate highway that ran coast
to coast. Today people can travel on U. S. Route 40 and see many of
the sights people saw when they traveled the National Road in the 1800’s.
Supplemental Activities:
- Assign different time periods to different students and have them
research what life was like along the National Road or what happened
to the Road after 1850. Have them use sources in the bibliography.
- Invite students to make a time line depicting major events relating
to the National Road they have learned during the course of their
study. Have various pupils illustrate each of the dates included.
Relevant Site Information:
The National Road/Zane Grey Museum tells the story of the National Road.
(For more information see the Site Resource List.)
Activity Answers:
Unit VI A
2. drover, stage coach driver, stable/barn hands, wagoner, tavern keeper,
road builders
Unit VI B
1.
| farmer |
blacksmith |
| tollhouse keeper |
tavern keeper |
2.
- Farmer: take care of animals; plow fields; plant crops; harvest
crops; milk cows; take produce to market
- Tollhouse keeper: collect tolls; keep people from passing
without paying; be available 24 hours a day
- Blacksmith: make horseshoes; shoe horses; make other metal
fixtures (for wagons, coaches, and cooking utensils for instance)
- Tavern keeper: cook and provide food to guests; change sheets
occasionally and keep the beds ready; provide feed for horses; keep
extra teams ready for coaches (most of these duties were also done
by paid help and family members)
3.
- Farmer: provided produce and grains used by taverns and stables
- Tollhouse keeper:gather tolls for National Road upkeep so
people could travel; employed people to upkeep the road
- Blacksmith: shoe horses; help prepare wagons for travel
- Tavern keepers: supply accommodations and horse teams to
allow people to travel both east and west
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