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The Ordinance for the Settlement of the Northwest Territory from July of 1787 (Ep. 50)
On July 13th, 1787 (4 years after the end of the Revolution), a landmark set of laws and plans for the settling of the massive territory west of the Ohio River was put into effect by the United States Confederation Congress. It called for religious and civil liberty, the establishment of new governments in the new lands, a process for turning territories into Congressionally represented states, the proper treatment of Indians, the establishment of Bible-based schools, and the prohibition of slavery. It was a major stepping stone in the formation of the early United States, even while another convention met for the drafting and construction of the Constitution. The Ordinance would be echoed in the very writing of this document, especially in the Bill of Rights.
Following the conclusion of the Revolutionary War with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the U.S. now had a lot of unsettled territory on its hands. This was called the “Northwest Territory”, and consisted of hundreds of thousands of miles of land hemmed in by the Ohio River in the south, the Great Lakes in the north, and the Mississippi River in the west. It contained the land now occupied by the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
Previously, in 1784, what was still called the Continental Congress, had made efforts for settling and selling this land, but a comprehensive and authoritative plan needed to be made. This was especially needed because of the massive debt the Congress was in. It hoped to use this virgin land to sell to the American citizens, as well as so it could pay back many of the soldiers from the Revolution who had yet to be compensated for their service. In addition, the Congress needed to resolve previous disputed claims by different states, when they had originally claimed territories for themselves, particularly Virgina. The solution was to put all the land under congressional control, and then found a first single government of the territory, to be divided up into towns, to be governed by legislatures, and eventually to be divided into full states with representatives in Congress.
This is a brief look at the background, drafting, and contents of the Northwest Ordinance.
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By Christopher G. VanDusenOn July 13th, 1787 (4 years after the end of the Revolution), a landmark set of laws and plans for the settling of the massive territory west of the Ohio River was put into effect by the United States Confederation Congress. It called for religious and civil liberty, the establishment of new governments in the new lands, a process for turning territories into Congressionally represented states, the proper treatment of Indians, the establishment of Bible-based schools, and the prohibition of slavery. It was a major stepping stone in the formation of the early United States, even while another convention met for the drafting and construction of the Constitution. The Ordinance would be echoed in the very writing of this document, especially in the Bill of Rights.
Following the conclusion of the Revolutionary War with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the U.S. now had a lot of unsettled territory on its hands. This was called the “Northwest Territory”, and consisted of hundreds of thousands of miles of land hemmed in by the Ohio River in the south, the Great Lakes in the north, and the Mississippi River in the west. It contained the land now occupied by the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
Previously, in 1784, what was still called the Continental Congress, had made efforts for settling and selling this land, but a comprehensive and authoritative plan needed to be made. This was especially needed because of the massive debt the Congress was in. It hoped to use this virgin land to sell to the American citizens, as well as so it could pay back many of the soldiers from the Revolution who had yet to be compensated for their service. In addition, the Congress needed to resolve previous disputed claims by different states, when they had originally claimed territories for themselves, particularly Virgina. The solution was to put all the land under congressional control, and then found a first single government of the territory, to be divided up into towns, to be governed by legislatures, and eventually to be divided into full states with representatives in Congress.
This is a brief look at the background, drafting, and contents of the Northwest Ordinance.