U.S. Congress Passes Northwest Ordinance
In the summer of 1787, the Confederation Congress operated under the Articles of Confederation amid debates over westward expansion and governance of unsettled lands. On July 13, it adopted the Northwest Ordinance, formally titled An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States North-West of the River Ohio. The measure established a territorial government, outlined a path to statehood with equality to existing states, prohibited slavery in the region, and guaranteed basic rights including trial by jury, religious freedom, and public education. It applied to lands north of the Ohio River that would become Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. The ordinance passed by a vote of 17 to 1 and provided a model for future territorial policy.
Why it matters: The Northwest Ordinance created the first organized system for adding new states on equal footing, influencing the Constitution's framework for expansion and setting a precedent against slavery in northern territories. It shaped U.S. westward growth for decades and embedded principles of education and civil liberties into territorial law.