Gavin Howe
The Northwest Territory was created by the Northwest Ordinance, passed on July 13, 1787. The Northwest Ordinance established a territorial government and outlined how to organize the territory into new states and their subsequent incorporation into the United States. The territory included land west of Pennsylvania, northwest of the Ohio River, east of the Mississippi River, and south of the Great Lakes. It consisted of present-day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota. The Northwest Ordinance also prohibited slavery within the Northwest Territory and provided for the encouragement of education.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of creation | 1787 |
| Territory included | All the land west of Pennsylvania, northwest of the Ohio River, east of the Mississippi River, and below the Great Lakes |
| States included | Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and northeastern Minnesota |
| Governance | Martial law under a governor and three judges |
| Governor | General Arthur St. Clair |
| Basis of legal decisions and laws | English common law |
| Taxation | Residents were protected against excessive taxes |
| Slavery | Prohibited |
| Religious discrimination | Prohibited |
| Land surveying | Standardized method established through the Land Ordinance of 1785 |
| Territorial legislature | Established in 1798 when the number of free male settlers exceeded 5,000 |
| Legislature composition | Bicameral legislature consisting of a House of Representatives and a Council |
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What You'll Learn
- The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 created the Northwest Territory
- The territory was divided into two in 1800
- The Northwest Ordinance established a territorial government
- The Ordinance prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory
- The Northwest Territory included the present-day states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 created the Northwest Territory
The Northwest Ordinance established a government for the territory and outlined a framework for governance and the integration of new states. It also prohibited slavery and declared that English common law would be the basis of legal decisions. The ordinance was passed on July 13, 1787, and General Arthur St. Clair was appointed as the first governor. St. Clair established the territory's government on July 15, 1788, at Marietta, and he formulated Maxwell's Code, the territory's first written criminal and civil laws.
The Northwest Ordinance also proposed that the territory should be divided into at least three and no more than five states. When the adult male population reached 5,000, residents could elect their own legislature, and when the population reached 60,000, territories would be granted statehood. The Northwest Territory was divided in 1800, with the larger portion becoming the Indiana Territory and the smaller portion retaining the name Northwest Territory. On March 1, 1803, Ohio became the first state formed out of the Northwest Territory, and it was admitted to the Union.
The creation of the Northwest Ordinance emphasised the need for a stronger federal government, which was later realised with the ratification of the Constitution. The ordinance also served as a basis for the rights of US citizens outlined in the Bill of Rights. It benefited large landholders, including George Washington, who was able to protect his substantial land claims in the Ohio Valley.
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The territory was divided into two in 1800
The Northwest Territory was divided into two in 1800, creating the Indiana Territory and leaving a smaller portion that retained the name Northwest Territory. The Indiana Territory included Wisconsin, Illinois, parts of Michigan and Minnesota, and most of Indiana. The Northwest Territory included parts of Ohio, Michigan, and a small portion of Indiana. This included an area known as "The Gore".
The division was a result of Congress preparing for Ohio's statehood, with the Indiana Territory encompassing all land west of the Indiana-Ohio border and its northward extension to Lake Superior. The legislation was signed into law by President John Adams on May 7, 1800, and became effective on July 4.
The Northwest Territory was established in 1787 by the Northwest Ordinance, enacted by the Congress of the Confederation. It was the first organised territory created by the ordinance and included land west of Pennsylvania, northwest of the Ohio River, east of the Mississippi River, and south of the Great Lakes. The territory was to be divided into no less than five states, and when the adult male population reached 5,000, residents could elect their own legislature.
The Northwest Territory ceased to exist on March 1, 1803, when Ohio became the first US state formed out of the territory, followed by Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
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The Northwest Ordinance established a territorial government
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 created the Northwest Territory, the first organised territory of the United States. The territory included all the land west of Pennsylvania, northwest of the Ohio River, east of the Mississippi River, and below the Great Lakes. This area comprised parts of six eventual US states: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and the northeastern area of Minnesota.
The Northwest Ordinance also addressed a number of other issues. It prohibited the owning of slaves within the Northwest Territory and protected residents against excessive taxes. It established that English common law would be the basis of legal decisions and laws in the territory. Additionally, it provided for the encouragement of education and abolished primogeniture.
The creation of the Northwest Ordinance emphasised the need for a stronger federal government, which was later realised with the ratification of the Constitution. The ordinance also served as a basis for the rights of US citizens outlined in the Bill of Rights. It benefited large landholders, including George Washington, who were able to establish their claims to tracts of land in the Ohio Valley.
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The Ordinance prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory
The Northwest Territory was created by the Northwest Ordinance, passed on July 13, 1787. The Northwest Ordinance established a territorial government and made General Arthur St. Clair its first governor. The Northwest Ordinance also proposed that the territory should be divided into no less than three and no more than five states.
The Northwest Ordinance prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. Article VI of the Articles of Compact within the Northwest Ordinance prohibited the owning of slaves within the Northwest Territory. The ordinance also included a bill of rights, protecting religious freedom, the right to a writ of habeas corpus, the benefit of trial by jury, and other individual rights. The ordinance encouraged education and forbade slavery.
The prohibition of slavery in the territory had the practical effect of establishing the Ohio River as the geographic divide between slave states and free states from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River. This was an extension of the Mason-Dixon line. The Northwest Ordinance banned slavery in the Northwest Territory, asserting the supremacy of the new federal government to decide issues that generated sectional tensions. This was a compromise to suppress conflict over slavery. The ordinance effectively set up the conditions to suppress conflict over western expansion and slavery until the admission of Missouri as a "slave state" in 1820.
The Northwest Ordinance was critically important in the context of the Constitutional Convention and how the new Constitutional government would create the infrastructure for the country to expand. The existing law provided a workable solution to include new states as full and equal members of the republic and removed the issue of slavery, temporarily, from national discourse.
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The Northwest Territory included the present-day states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota
The Northwest Territory was created by the Northwest Ordinance in 1787. It was the first organised territory, and it doubled the size of the United States. The Northwest Ordinance established a framework for territories to become states, and it also proposed that the territory should be divided into no less than five states.
The Northwest Territory included all the land west of Pennsylvania, northwest of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River below the Great Lakes. It incorporated most of the former Ohio Country, covering all of the modern states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as the northeastern part of Minnesota.
The territory was initially governed by martial law under a governor and three judges. General Arthur St. Clair was appointed governor in 1787, and he served until 1802 when he was removed from office by President Thomas Jefferson. The territory was then divided into two parts in 1800, with the larger portion becoming Indiana Territory and the smaller portion retaining the name Northwest Territory.
The Northwest Ordinance also had a significant impact on the rights of citizens in the United States. It prohibited the owning of slaves within the Northwest Territory, and it protected residents against excessive taxes. It also established English common law as the basis of legal decisions and laws in the territory.
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Frequently asked questions
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 created the Northwest Territory.
The Northwest Territory was the first organised territory of the United States, consisting of lands beyond the Appalachian Mountains, between British North America and the Great Lakes to the north, and the Ohio River to the south.
The Northwest Territory included the current states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota.
The Northwest Ordinance established a framework for governance and the integration of new states from the Northwest Territory. It also proposed that the territory should be divided into no less than three, nor more than five states.
General Arthur St. Clair was appointed governor of the Northwest Territory in 1787.
