Question

in addition to water travel, land travel also improved in the early 1800s. at that time, many people from the northeast were moving west to start farms, but travel was difficult. once the settlers arrived, they also needed to send grain to customers back east, which took a long time.

to help meet those needs, the united states government built the nations first highway, called the national road. begun in 1811, this highway ran west from pennsylvania through virginia, ohio, indiana, and illinois. because it took this route, the part of the country then called the northwest became linked to the northeast much more than to the south.

the national road, when completed in 1837

the national road made travel much easier. sort the following statements by whether they describe travel along the national roads path before or after the road was built.

rivers and creeks were hard to cross.
when it rained, dirt roads became filled with mud puddles.
crushed stone or wood planks helped water drain off the road.
bridges made creeks and rivers easier to cross.

travel before the national road was built
travel after the national road was built

Explanation:

• Before the National Road was built, travel was difficult: natural waterways were uncrossable easily, and unpaved dirt roads turned muddy when it rained.
• After the road was built, improvements like crushed stone/wood planks (for drainage) and bridges (for crossing waterways) made travel easier.

Answer:

Travel before the National Road was built

• Rivers and creeks were hard to cross.
• When it rained, dirt roads became filled with mud puddles.

Travel after the National Road was built

• Crushed stone or wood planks helped water drain off the road.
• Bridges made creeks and rivers easier to cross.