Which federal act, signed by President Eisenhower, created a nationwide system of interstate and defense highways?

• A. Morrill Act
• B. Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956
• C. Sherman Antitrust Act
• D. Wagner Act

Answer: (B)

The act described is the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The key idea here is creating a vast, nationwide system of high-speed, limited-access roads to improve national defense and economic mobility. This legislation authorized the construction of about 41,000 miles of interstate highways and established the Highway Trust Fund to finance the project, with a strong federal funding role and standardized design standards. President Eisenhower signed it into law in 1956, marking a major shift in U.S. transportation and reshaping travel, commerce, and settlement patterns for decades. The other acts listed pursued different aims—funding colleges (Morrill Act), curbing anticompetitive practices (Sherman Antitrust Act), and supporting labor unions (Wagner Act)—and did not establish the interstate highway system.