Good Roads Everywhere

Scarce broadsheet promoting the domestic efforts of the National Highways Association.

Until the late 19th century, roads in the United States were almost universally recognized as a local or state responsibility. Privately owned railroads dominated much of the interstate commerce, and the idea of a federally funded network of roads didn’t gain much traction until the 1890’s.

Cyclists, oddly enough, were some of the most vocal proponents of early road funding legislature, and ultimately the ubiquity of the automobile (spearheaded by Henry Ford’s affordable 1907 Model-T) would compel Congress to pass a series of legislative measures approving federal funding for the construction of roads. The first was the Federal Road Aid Act of 1916, which was then greatly expanded with the Phipps Act in 1921.

The National Highways Association was organized in 1911 to promote the development, funding, and construction of ‘Good Roads Everywhere.’ The National Highway System would ultimately become just one component of this broader system of interconnected transportation routes, which is described extensively on this scarce promotional broadsheet.

Comparisons to the Panama Canal, hyperbole regarding the potential economic impact, and the implied threat of national security (ever present on Americans minds in 1914) are just a few of the tactics used to capture the attention of the audience. The long list of participating individuals, many of whom were highly respected across America, is also a tool used to encourage support and membership.