What did the Northwest Ordinance do?

The Northwest Ordinance, formally known as the Ordinance of 1787, established a form of government for the territory north of the Ohio River, which included areas that would become the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. It provided a mechanism for these territories to become states within the United States, once certain criteria were met. The ordinance included several significant provisions:

1. Territorial government: It created a three-stage process for admitting new states. Initially, the territory would be governed by appointed officials. As the population grew, the residents could write a temporary constitution and elect their government. Finally, when the population reached 60,000, the territory could apply for statehood.

2. Civil rights and liberties: The ordinance guaranteed certain legal rights to inhabitants of the territory, including freedom of religion, right to trial by jury, and due process of law.

3. Banning of slavery: Importantly, the Northwest Ordinance prohibited slavery in the territory, which set the foundation for the divide between free and slave states leading up to the American Civil War.

4. Education: The ordinance encouraged education by stating that one of the purposes of the territory was to provide for the establishment of educational institutions, and it set aside land for this purpose.

The Northwest Ordinance was a forward-thinking legislative act by the Confederation Congress and played a crucial role in the westward expansion and the development of the American frontier.