The+Northwest+Ordinance

__The Northwest Ordinance __ An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio. Adopted on July 13, 1787, the U.S affirmed the Northwest Ordinance, which was an act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States. The primary effect of the Northwest Ordinance was the creation of the Northwest territory as the first organized territory of the United States out of the regions south of Great Lakes, north and west of Ohio river, and east of Mississippi river. These states are today's Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin. 

The Northwest Ordinance is considered the single most important piece of legislation passed by the members of the earlier Continental Congress other than the Declaration of Independence. The Northwest Ordinance banned slavery in that territory which had the effect of establishing the Ohio river as the boundary between free and slave territory in the region between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi river. The division helped set the stage for the balancing act between free and slave states that was the basis of a critical politician question in American politics in the 19th century until the civil war.

Go back to Home Page Go back to Section Page Go to Vocabulary Page Go to Bibliography Page Go to Important Individuals and Groups of the American Revolution Go to Important Battles of the American Revolution [|Go to bibliography of this page] [|Go to bibliogrpahy of this page] [|Go see Addtional Information] [|Go see Additional Information] By: Alexander C.