Eisenhower's Insight

President Eisenhower's Interstate Highway system is one of the great success stories in the American System of government, a gift of sorts to the country. The highway system has been utilized by almost every American at some point in time; millions of Americans use it every day. However, this grand vision and its prospects were not yet realized in the mid-1950s when Eisenhower was trying to push these initiatives through congress. He knew that he would not be able to sell the idea easily, billions of dollars would be spent on an uncertain project, but he was very crafty politically in his phrasing of the initiative. The system as he told congress would be used as a method to transport military equipment across the country in case of an emergency. This was at a time where there was a sword dangling over the country in the form of the nuclear threat from the Soviet Union, congress fell in line when it saw that this system would be essential for use when the country was in possible turmoil. Eisenhower’s political skill allowed him to push an initiative through congress during difficult times that may not have been successful had a novice been at the helm of power.