History Day LA

Route 66: Just another highway?

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Just what makes an event a frontier in history? It could be the time when the event occurred. It could also be where the event occurred. Sometimes, it’s even why or how the event occurred that makes it a frontier in history. Most of the time, however, it is what the event actually is that makes an ordinary event a frontier in history.

The construction and opening of Route 66 could have been just an ordinary highway opening, but it was much, much more. It opened up the West in a way never thought possible. Suddenly, if you had a car and a little bit of cash, you could go out and explore the West. It was as if the rusted doors to the West were suddenly thrust open and the masses were ushered in.

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