one person watching all of this unfold was albert gallatin. 10 years after the whiskey rebellion, he is serving as secretary of the treasury under thomas jefferson. he is the one who finds the funding for this major project. he understands the importance of all office. this was a major project, a major undertaking. there were so few routes over the mountain to connect people that they just wanted to try to improve that. that is what the national road salt, this problem -- road s olved, this problem. >> did bring the east and west together? >> in many ways. people were funneled across the national road to the western country. it is important to remember that time, even western pennsylvania and ohio, this was a western frontier. people started funneling into that area. people started moving that way. communicatee to more easily with people in the east. you have more constant communication, you have more input from the people in the west on maybe government policies, it will strengthen the union overall. we do see during the national road era, indiana and illinois added as states to the