Interstate Highway System

(noun)

A network of controlled-access highways that forms a part of the National Highway System of the United States. President Dwight D. Eisenhower championed its formation. Construction was authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, and the original portion was completed 35 years later, although some urban routes were cancelled and never built.

Related Terms

(noun)

A network of limited-access roads, including freeways, highways, and expressways, forming part of the National Highway System of the United States. The system is named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who championed its formation. Construction was authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, and the original portion was completed 35 years later.

Related Terms

Examples of Interstate Highway System in the following topics:

  • The Eisenhower Administration

    • The presidency of General Dwight David Eisenhower, from 1953 to 1961, was a Republican interlude during the Fifth Party System, following 20 years of Democratic control of the White House.
    • His main legacy is the Interstate Highway System.
    • His major project was building the Interstate Highway System using federal gasoline taxes.

  • Conclusion: WWII and the U.S.

    • Land transportation was also about to witness revolutionary changes as the construction of the Interstate Highway System began in 1956.
    • He also promoted the Interstate Highway System as necessary for national defense, and made space exploration a priority.

  • Modern Republicanism

    • His enduring innovations include his launching of the Interstate Highway System, DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which lead to the internet among other things), NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, driving peaceful discovery in space), the establishment of strong science education via the National Defense Education Act, and the encouragement of peaceful nuclear power use via amendments to the Atomic Energy Act.

  • The Square Deal

    • Instead, the Interstate Commerce Commission would control the prices that railroads could charge.
    • The Hepburn Act authorized the Interstate Commerce Commission to set maximum railroad rates and to stop the practice of giving out free passes to friends of the railway interests.
    • In addition, the Interstate Commerce Commission could examine the railroads' financial records, a task simplified by standardized booking systems.
    • For any railroad that resisted, the Interstate Commerce Commission's conditions would be in effect until a legal decision of a court was issued.
    • Through the Hepburn Act, the Interstate Commerce Commission's authority was extended to bridges, terminals, ferries, sleeping cars, express companies, and oil pipelines.

  • Oregon and the Overland Trails

    • Today, modern highways such as Interstate 80 follow the same course westward and pass through towns originally established to service the Oregon Trail.

  • From Competition to Consolidation

    • Morgan played an increasingly dominant role in consolidating the rail system in the late 19th century.
    • He fought against the speculators interested in speculative profits, and built a vision of an integrated transportation system.
    • While consolidation of the rail system led to greater efficiencies, it also led to controversial practices.
    • The consequence was federal legislation: the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 established the first federal administrative agency, the Interstate Commerce Commission.

  • Harding's Policies

    • In what he proclaimed to be the age of the "motor car," Harding signed the Federal Highway Act of 1921, which defined the Federal Aid Road program to develop an immense national highway system.
    • From 1921 to 1923, the government spent a total of $162 million on America's highway system, infusing the U.S. economy with a large amount of capital.
    • In another national controversy, Harding clashed with veterans over the issue of providing bonus payments for those who served in World War I, instead favoring a future pension system.

  • Automobiles, Airplanes, Mass Production, and Assembly-Line Progress

    • This was largely due to the adoption by industry of the technique of mass production, the system under which identical products were churned out quickly and inexpensively using assembly lines.
    • Using the manufacturing assembly line system, in which individual parts or sets of pieces are added to a product at stations on a conveyor belt or other moveable line, entrepreneurs such as automobile tycoon Henry Ford were able to greatly increase productivity.
    • The auto industry's effectiveness and growth caused a ripple effect through driving-related industries such as highway construction and petroleum.
    • State government contracts to build highways and roads in rural areas increased as new housing sprung up outside the range of mass transit.
    • Telephone lines were strung across the continent, and indoor plumbing and modern sewer systems were installed for the first time in many regions.

  • The Idea of Economic Citizenship

    • Congress enacted a law regulating railroads in 1887 (the Interstate Commerce Act), and one preventing large firms from controlling a single industry in 1890 (the Sherman Antitrust Act).
    • He managed to convince lawmakers on the issues of money and banking by the creation in 1913 of the Federal Reserve System, a complex business-government partnership that to this day dominates the financial world.
    • The Industrial Revolution altered the purpose of the education system.

  • Cleveland and the Special Interests

    • These jobs were typically filled under the spoils system, but Cleveland announced that he would not fire any Republican who was doing his job well.
    • In 1887, he signed an act creating the Interstate Commerce Commission.