America’s First Highway West: How George Washington Helped Build the Nation
The National Road and America’s Westward Future
Newt Gingrich Talks with Historian Brady Crytzer About George Washington’s Vision for the National Road and the Infrastructure Project That United a Growing America.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, understanding how the nation expanded beyond the original thirteen colonies offers valuable insight into the American story. On this episode of Newt’s World, Newt Gingrich sits down with historian Brady Crytzer to discuss his new book, The National Road: George Washington and America’s First Highway West. Their conversation explores Washington’s lesser-known role as a surveyor, landowner, and visionary who recognized that America’s future depended on connecting the East to the vast opportunities beyond the Appalachian Mountains.
Brady explains how Washington’s dream eventually became the National Road, the first major federally funded infrastructure project in American history. The discussion highlights the critical contributions of Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin, whose practical vision for roads, commerce, and westward expansion helped transform a fragile young republic into a connected nation. Together, Newt and Brady examine the challenges of frontier settlement, the importance of transportation networks, and the enduring lessons America can learn from one of its most ambitious early projects.
Listen to their conversation below, or scroll down for an edited transcript.
Edited Transcript
This conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
Newt Gingrich
Most Americans know George Washington as a general and president, but your book introduces readers to Washington the surveyor. Why is that side of his life so important?
Brady Crytzer
Washington always had an eye for the land. Throughout his military service, the Revolution, and his presidency, he believed America’s future lay beyond the Appalachian Mountains. He understood that the nation would eventually grow westward and that infrastructure would be essential to making that expansion possible.
Newt Gingrich
Washington also became one of the largest landowners in America. Why was he so focused on acquiring western land?
Brady Crytzer
His experiences during the French and Indian War convinced him that the Ohio River Valley represented America’s future. He saw enormous economic potential in the West and believed Americans had the desire to move westward. What they lacked was a reliable way to get there.
Newt Gingrich
Today it is easy to overlook how important rivers were before railroads and highways.
Brady Crytzer
Absolutely. Rivers were the highways of the eighteenth century. Washington viewed waterways much the way we think of interstate highways today. They allowed people and goods to travel vast distances, but eventually there were gaps that required new solutions.
Newt Gingrich
Washington’s presidency coincided with a turbulent western frontier. What challenges was the nation facing?
Brady Crytzer
The West presented several major crises. Settlers often distrusted eastern authority. Native American confederations were resisting expansion. British forces still occupied frontier forts, and Spain controlled access to the Mississippi River. Any one of those challenges could have slowed or stopped American growth.
Washington believed the answer was creating a physical connection between East and West through infrastructure.
Newt Gingrich
One of the most important figures in your book is Albert Gallatin. Who was he?
Brady Crytzer
Gallatin was born in Geneva and immigrated to America during the Revolution. He eventually settled in western Pennsylvania and became one of the most influential financial minds in American history.
As Treasury Secretary, he financed the Louisiana Purchase, supported the Lewis and Clark Expedition, helped fund the War of 1812, and championed the National Road. He also reduced the national debt while doing it.
Newt Gingrich
What made Gallatin’s vision different?
Brady Crytzer
Gallatin believed prosperity came from ordinary Americans. He thought government’s role was not to direct success, but to remove barriers that prevented people from succeeding on their own.
His vision centered on transportation networks that would allow farmers, merchants, and settlers to connect with markets and opportunities.
Newt Gingrich
How did roads eventually become more important than rivers?
Brady Crytzer
Rivers could only take people so far. Gallatin recognized that millions of acres of productive land were nowhere near navigable waterways. Roads became the missing link.
The National Road connected the Potomac River to the Ohio River and eventually stretched hundreds of miles farther west. It followed many existing Native American trails and frontier routes while creating a reliable transportation corridor for settlement and commerce.
Newt Gingrich
Was the National Road truly a federal project?
Brady Crytzer
Yes. Gallatin devised a clever funding model using proceeds from federal land sales in Ohio. That allowed the road to be built without imposing new taxes.
He also argued that the Constitution gave Congress authority to maintain postal roads, which helped secure support for the project.
Newt Gingrich
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, what lessons does the National Road offer today?
Brady Crytzer
The National Road reminds us that America has always been a nation willing to pursue ambitious goals.
Washington, Gallatin, and others faced enormous obstacles, yet they built something that transformed the country. Their story demonstrates that bold thinking, long-term planning, and confidence in America’s future can produce extraordinary results.
Newt Gingrich
If the National Road had never been built, how different might America have been?
Brady Crytzer
The Midwest would have developed much more slowly. The road provided a blueprint for later transportation systems, including the interstate highway network.
In many ways, it created the foundation for America’s economic growth and the freedom of movement that Americans still enjoy today.
Newt Gingrich
If Washington and Gallatin were alive today, what challenge would they put before us?
Brady Crytzer
They would ask how America can continue leading in a changing world. They believed in freedom, opportunity, innovation, and growth.
Their question for us would be simple: How do we build on those principles to ensure America’s success for the next generation?
Newt Gingrich
Brady, thank you for joining me. Your new book, The National Road: George Washington and America’s First Highway West, is available now.
Brady Crytzer
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was a pleasure.
About the Guest
Brady J. Crytzer is the winner of the 2023 Judge Robert K. Woltz History Award. A specialist of the Frontier History of North America, Crytzer is an Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Revolution, and regularly appears on Fox News, NBC Peacock, C-Span, and Sirius XM.
In 2026, Crytzer was named a Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts in London. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Sirius XM, and USA Today.
His book The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis was listed as one of “Ten Books to Read” by the Wall Street Journal in 2023. His latest work, The National Road: George Washington and America’s First Highway West was named “Editor’s Pick: Best History” by Amazon.com.
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