The Land Ordinance of 1785

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The Land Ordinance of 1785 Northwest Ordinance

• How will new states get added as the population
  moves westward?

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Rewind a bit

• When the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary
  War in 1783, the U.S. acquired all the land east
  of the Mississippi River.
• One of the most important questions that had to
  be answered by the new Congress was what to do
  with that land. How should it be divided how
  should they be governed?
• The answer to that question became the Land
  Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance
  (1787).

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What do we do with all this land??
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Land Ordinance of 1785

• Called for surveyors to stake out six-mile-square
  plots, called townships, in the Western lands.
• These lands became known as the Northwest
  Territory.
• The NW Territory included land that formed the
  states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois,
  Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.

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(No Transcript)
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An example of a township map.
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Northwest Ordinance (1787)

• As a territory grew in population, it would gain
  rights to self-government.
• An assembly could be elected when
• 1. 5,000 free males in an area.
• 2. Each owning at least 50 acres.
• The area could apply to become a new state when
• 1. 60,000 people in one area.

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Northwest Ordinance (1787)

• It also set out conditions for settlement and
  outlined settlers rights
• 1. Slavery outlawed
• 2. Rivers open to all
• 3. Freedom of religion
• 4. Trial by jury guaranteed

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So why do we care about this?

• 1. The NW Ordinance was important because it set
  a pattern for orderly growth of the U.S.
• 2. As the nation grew, it followed this pattern
  in territories after the NW Territory, such as
  the Louisiana Purchase.

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As the U.S. grew, states were added into the new
territories.
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What about the Indians?

• The utmost good faith shall always be observed
  towards the Indians their lands and property
  shall never be taken from them without their
  consent and, in their property, rights, and
  liberty, they shall never be invaded or
  disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars
  authorized by Congress but laws founded in
  justice and humanity, shall from time to time be
  made for preventing wrongs being done to them,
  and for preserving peace and friendship with
  them.