The Northwest Ordinance of 1787

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787. . After the American Revolution, England ceded much of the territory north of the Ohio River to the United States. This area known as the Northwest Territory included future states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and eastern portions of Minnesota. The future growth of the young nation needed a plan for how new territories would be governed. , An early Northwest Ordinance in 1784 was authored by Thomas Jefferson which created the territory as a singular entity. The 1787 update by Massachusetts delegates Rufus King and Nathan Dane expanded on Jefferson's document by providing a path to statehood for the territories if they chose it. It gave citizens living in the territories rights including voting, religious freedom, and the ability to set up a government for themselves. The document also granted new states the same rights as the original thirteen and the abolition of slavery in the Northwest. Although further legislation would shape the growing nation, this document provided the framework for states entering the union after that point. , "There shall be formed in the said territory, not less than three nor more than five States... , -The Northwest Ordinance, Article 5