President Eisenhower was the 34th president of the Untied States. He was a great president and caused many changes in America for the better. Eisenhower was in the military, and while he was in service, he had to cross the country. It took about five months to cross the entire U.S. But when the highway was built it took about four days. M.A.D. influenced Eisenhower to think about escape from bombing, and faster transportation for troops; this created the Interstate Highway, which then created ghost towns.

M.A.D. (Mutual Assured Destruction), is where two opposing forces can cause complete destruction of each other. M.A.D. was brought up in the Cold War, with the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was Communist, and we were Capitalist; this caused a rift between the two countries. We did not want America to became Communist, yet at the same time Stalin didn’t want his country to turn Capitalist. So since America was superior to the Soviet Union in terms of Nuclear Weapons, the Soviets got smart and decided to build their own nuclear army. This started the Nuclear Arms Race between the two Countries. Since this race with the Soviets had been going on, Eisenhower know had to think about bombings in America. The solution; The Interstate Highway System. That way if there was a bombing in America, there could be faster transpiration to get out.

The Highway System not only helped the general population, but it helped big and small companies as well (“Interstate Highway System”). Manufacturers were very pleased with this. The costs dropped for shipping products. Since the roads helped them get to many cities in a much faster way. The highway made many companies happy, especially car companies. After the highway system was created car companies prospered, since everyone needed a car and that was an efficient way of transportation. The car companies blossomed and there was a car in almost every household.

Since the highways passed the streets of the small towns, the small towns that were was full of tourists were now gone. America was changing into big cities, instead of small scattered towns. Cities created America. Now business people only lived in the cities, and farmers lived in the country. Small towns were dying off because of people leaving. Peoples businesses would die because all the tourist traffic would go directly to the highway (“History of The Interstate Highway”). If you had a product to be shipped out among the U.S., you would gravitate to big cities, and every little town would get lost, and eventually disappeared.

The Highway System was a success and helped many people. Although many towns died off, it shaped the city-centered America we know today. Transportation became much faster and much easier. M.A.D. prepared us for the possibility of being bombed, and because of the Interstate Highway, we could now escape efficiently. Eisenhower did make many changes in his presidency but, in my opinion this was his best idea.

 “Work Sited Page” 

“Interstate Highway System”. History.com. Web

“History of The Interstate Highway”. Thetruckersreport.com. Web