The Great American Road Trip, Fueled by — and Undercut by — the Automobile that Created It – WTOP News
- Historian Susan Rugh identifies the period after World War II through the 1970s oil crisis as the apex of the American family road trip, driven by rising middle-class wealth and federal highway investment.
- Route 66, commissioned in 1926, became the "Main Street of America," catering to a mid-century craze for the Old West while strengthening family bonds and educating children as citizens.
- Despite the ideal, the open road did not signal freedom for all; Black families faced systemic segregation and discrimination that influenced passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
- Today, cheap airfare and interstates bypass small towns, prioritizing speed over interaction; Professor Allen Pietrobon notes travelers trade opportunities for unexpected discoveries for convenience of reaching final destinations.
- People still travel from around the world to experience neon lights and kitschy Western-themed attractions, as some roadside businesses remain despite interstates diverting traffic from historic communities.
23 Articles
23 Articles
The great American road trip, fueled by — and undercut by — the automobile that created it – WTOP News
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — There’s something about the American road trip. It has been memorialized in books like Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” and satirized in movies like “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” It primarily consists of hours upon hours of driving that should be boring — but somehow isn’t? Maybe it’s the anticipation of getting to...
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The great American road trip, fueled by — and undercut by — the automobile that created it
The road trip holds a special place in Americans' hearts. It evokes images of long drives and iconic destinations like the Grand Canyon or Death Valley. Despite the love we have for the idea of a road trip, most of…
The great American road trip, fueled by — and undercut by — the automo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — There’s something about the American road trip. It brings to mind visions of cars the size of boats, the glory days before seat-belt laws and pit stops at the world’s largest fill-in-the-blank. It
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