The National Road George Washington and America's First Highway West

By: Brady J. Crytzer

Published by Diversion Publishing, 2026-04-14

Timed for America’s 250th anniversary, The National Road is the dramatic story of how a fragile new republic forged unity through ambition and action, fueled by George Washington’s youthful dream to build the United States’ first highway west and paving the way for the growth of a nation of unmatched liberty and possibility.

Spanning the 1750s, decades before the nation itself was born, through the 1830s, The National Road is the first narrative history of the ambitious federal project that connected the young United States across the Alleghenies and into the western frontier. Starting with a young George Washington’s dream of uniting the Potomac and Ohio Rivers, award-winning historian Brady J. Crytzer vividly recounts the political debates, personal rivalries, and engineering marvels that culminated in a vital artery that brought settlers, ideas, and commerce into the American interior.

George Washington scouted the western frontier as a young surveyor and championed a national route to unify the fledgling republic. Albert Gallatin, America's Swiss Founding Father and longest-tenured Secretary of the Treasury, battled political opposition to fund the project. Thomas Jefferson, torn between his agrarian ideals and the demands of a growing republic, ultimately championed the Road as a means of securing western lands and extending democratic reach. And Henry Clay harnessed the Road to advance his bold American System, transforming vision into reality through fierce legislative strategy.

Told with sparkling clarity and drive, The National Road is filled with visionaries, rebels, immigrants, and everyday families seeking the American dream. From fiery congressional showdowns and backroom deals to perilous mountain crossings and boisterous frontier towns, Brady J. Crytzer reveals the triumphs and tragedies of a century-long infrastructure saga that helped define the United States.