The Northwest Ordinance (formally An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio, and also known as the Freedom Ordinance) was an act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States. The Congress of the Confederation or the United States in Congress Assembled was the governing body of the United States of America from March 1, The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Ordinance unanimously passed on July 13, 1787. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Year 1787 ( MDCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The primary effect of the ordinance was the creation of the Northwest Territory as the first organized territory of the United States out of the region south of the Great Lakes, north and west of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River. For the Canadian territory see Northwest Territories. For the northwestern corner of the Lower 48 see Northwestern United States. Territories of the United States are one type of political division of the United States, administered by the U The Laurentian Great Lakes are a chain of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada–United States border. The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to On August 7, 1789, the U.S. Congress affirmed the Ordinance with slight modifications under the Constitution. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States.
Arguably the single most important piece of legislation passed by members of the earlier Continental Congresses other than the Declaration of Independence, it established the precedent by which the United States would expand westward across North America by the admission of new states, rather than by the expansion of existing states. The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4 1776 announcing that the thirteen American colonies then A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government
The banning of slavery in the territory 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. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to This division helped set the stage for the balancing act between free and slave states that was the basis of a critical political question in American politics in the 19th century until the Civil War. The free states of the United States existed in opposition to the Slave states prior to the American Civil War. A slave state was a US state in which Slavery of African Americans was legal Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South
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History
Acquired by Great Britain from France following the 1763 Treaty of Paris, the Ohio Country had been closed to white settlement by the Proclamation of 1763. This is a timeline of events leading to the American Civil War. The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving The Nullification Crisis was a sectional crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson created by the Ordinance of Nullification, an attempt by the The Wilmot Proviso was introduced on August 8, 1846, in the United States House of Representatives as a rider on a $2 million appropriations The Compromise of 1850 was a series of bills aimed at resolving the territorial and slavery controversies arising from the Mexican-American War (1846&ndash1848 The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opened new lands repealed the Missouri Compromise of Bleeding Kansas, sometimes referred to in history as Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events involving Free-Staters Dred Scott v Sandford —whether or not they were slaves—could never be Citizens of the United States, and that the United States Congress The Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate and the incumbent Stephen A John Brown (May 9 1800 December 2 1859 was an American Abolitionist who advocated and practiced armed Insurrection as a means to end all Slavery For the Canadian territory see Northwest Territories. For the northwestern corner of the Lower 48 see Northwestern United States. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on February 10, 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain The Ohio Country (sometimes called the Ohio Territory) was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains The Proclamation of 1763 was issued October 7, 1763 by King George III following Great Britain 's acquisition of French territory The United States claimed the region after the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolutionary War, but was subject to overlapping and conflicting claims of the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Virginia, as well as a lingering British presence that was not settled until the War of 1812. The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, and approved by the Congress of the Confederation on January 14, 1784, formally In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" The state cessions are those areas of the United States that the separate states ceded to the federal government in the late 18th and early 19th century The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state The War of 1812 was fought between the United States of America and the British Empire, particularly Great Britain and her North American colonies
The region had long been desired for expansion by colonists, however, and urgency of the settlement of the claims of the states was prompted in large measure by the de facto opening of the area to settlement following the loss of British control. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands
In 1784, Thomas Jefferson proposed that the states should relinquish their particular claims to all the territory west of the Appalachians, and the area should be divided into new states of the Union. Thomas Jefferson (April 13 1743 – July 4 1826 was the third President of the United States (1801–1809 the principal author of the Declaration of Independence Jefferson proposed creating seventeen roughly rectangular states from the territory, and even suggested names for the new states, including Chersonesus, Sylvania, Assenisipia, Metropotamia, Polypotamia, Pelisipia, Saratoga, Washington, Michigania and Illinoia. Although the proposal was not adopted, it established the example that would become the basis for the Northwest Ordinance three years later. Michigan, Illinois and Washington would eventually be used as State names. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
Effects of the legislation
Abolition of state claims
The passage of the ordinance followed the relinquishing of all such claims by the states over the territory, which was to be administered directly by Congress, with the intent of eventual admission of newly created states from the territory. The state cessions are those areas of the United States that the separate states ceded to the federal government in the late 18th and early 19th century The legislation was revolutionary in that it established the precedent for lands to be administered by the central government, albeit temporarily, rather than underneath the jurisdiction of particular states.
Admission of new states
The most significant intended purpose of the legislation was its mandate for the creation of new states from the region, once a population of 60,000 had been achieved within a particular territory. The actual legal mechanism of the admission of new states was established in the Enabling Act of 1802. The Enabling Act of 1802 was passed on April 30, 1802 by the Seventh Congress of the United States. The first state created from the territory was Ohio, in 1803. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads
Establishment of territorial government
As an organic act, the ordinance created a civil government in the territory under the direct jurisdiction of the Congress. Territories of the United States are one type of political division of the United States, administered by the U The ordinance was thus the prototype for the subsequent organic acts that created organized territories during the westward expansion of the United States. It specifically provided for the appointment by Congress of a Territorial Governor with a three-year term, a Territorial Secretary with a four-year term, and three Judges, with no set limit to their term. As soon as there was a population of 5,000 "free male inhabitants of full age", they could form a general assembly for a legislature. In 1789, the U.S. Congress made minor changes, such that the President, with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate, had the power to appoint and remove the Governor and officers of the territory instead of Congress. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives The Territorial Secretary was authorized to act for the Governor, if he died, was absent, was removed, or resigned from office.
Establishment of civil rights
The civil rights provisions of the ordinance foreshadowed the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. In the United States the Bill of Rights is the name by which the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are known The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. Many of the concepts and guarantees of the Ordinance of 1787 were incorporated in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. In the United States the Bill of Rights is the name by which the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are known In the Northwest Territory, various legal and property rights were enshrined, religious tolerance was proclaimed, and it was enunciated that since "Religion, morality, and knowledge" are "necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. Religious toleration is the condition of accepting or permitting others' religious beliefs and practices which disagree with one's own " The right of habeas corpus was written into the charter, as was freedom of religious worship and bans on excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishment. Habeas corpus (ˈheɪbiəs ˈkɔɹpəs ( Latin: command that you have the body is the name of a legal action or Writ, through which a person can seek relief Trial by jury and a ban on ex post facto laws were also rights granted.
Prohibition of slavery
- Further information: Origins of the American Civil War
The ordinance prohibited slavery in the region, at a time when northeastern states such as New York and New Jersey still permitted it. The main explanation for the origins of the American Civil War was slavery, especially the issue of the expansion of slavery into the territories. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another The Northeast is a region of the United States. As defined by the U New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The text of the ordinance read, "There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted. " In reality, slaves were (illegally) kept in parts of the territory, and the practice of indentured servitude was tacitly permitted. An indentured servant is a form of Debt bondage worker The Laborer is under Contract of an Employer for some period of time usually three to
In the decades preceding the American Civil War, the abolition of slavery in the northeast by the 1830s created a contiguous region of free states to balance the Congressional power of the slave states in the south. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South History See also Orange Free State Geography The Free State is situated on flat boundless plains in the heart of South Africa A slave state was a US state in which Slavery of African Americans was legal After the Louisiana Purchase, the Missouri Compromise effectively extended the Ohio River boundary between free and slave territory westward from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains. For the film see Louisiana Purchase (film. The Louisiana Purchase (French Vente de la Louisiane "Louisiana Sale" The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. The balance between free and slave territory established in the ordinance eventually collapsed following the Mexican-American War.
Many "fire-eater" Southerners of the 1850s denied that Congress even had the authority to bar the spread of slavery to the Northwest Territory. In United States history, the term Fire-Eaters refers to a group of extremist pro- slavery politicians from the South who urged the separation President George Washington did not advocate the abolition of slavery while in office, but signed legislation enforcing the prohibition of slavery in the Northwest Territory, writing to his good friend the Marquis de la Fayette that he considered it a wise measure. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the For the Canadian territory see Northwest Territories. For the northwestern corner of the Lower 48 see Northwestern United States. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison both wrote that they believed Congress had such authority. Thomas Jefferson (April 13 1743 – July 4 1826 was the third President of the United States (1801–1809 the principal author of the Declaration of Independence James Madison Jr (March 16 1751 – June 28 1836 was an American Politician, the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817 and one of the Founding
Definition of the Midwest as a region
The Northwest Ordinance, along with the Land Ordinance of 1785, laid the legal and cultural groundwork for midwestern (and subsequently, western) development. The Land Ordinance of 1785 was adopted by the United States Congress on May 20, 1785. Significantly, the free state legal philosophies of both Abraham Lincoln and Salmon P. Chase (Chief Justice, Senator, and early Ohio law author) were derived from the Northwest Ordinance. History See also Orange Free State Geography The Free State is situated on flat boundless plains in the heart of South Africa Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal Salmon Portland Chase ( January 13, 1808 – May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist in the Civil War era
Effects on Native Americans
The Northwest Ordinance also made mention of Native Americans: "The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their land and property shall never be taken without their consent; and, in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed," which was more a nominal provision than a real one. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States Many American Indians in Ohio refused to defer to treaties signed after the Revolutionary War that ceded lands north of the Ohio River (inhabited by American Indians) to the United States. The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. In a conflict sometimes known as the Northwest Indian War, Blue Jacket of the Shawnees and Little Turtle of the Miamis formed a confederation to stop white expropriation of the territory. The Northwest Indian War (1785&ndash1795 also known as Little Turtle's War and by various other names was a war fought between the United States and Blue Jacket or Weyapiersenwah (c 1743 &ndash c 1810 was a war chief of the Shawnee people known for his militant defense of Shawnee lands in the Ohio Country The Shawnee, or Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are a people native to North America. Little Turtle or Mishikinakwa (c 1747 &ndash July 14, 1812) was a chief of the Miami tribe in what is presently Indiana, and The Miami are a Native American tribe originally found in Indiana, southwest Michigan and Ohio, and now living also in Oklahoma After the Indian confederation had killed more than 800 soldiers in two battles — the worst defeats ever suffered by the U. S. at the hands of Native Americans — President Washington assigned General Anthony Wayne command of a new army, which eventually defeated the confederation and thus allowed whites to continue settling the territory. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Anthony Wayne (January 1 1745–December 15 1796 was a United States Army general and statesman The Legion of the United States was a reorganization and extension of the United States Army in 1792 under the command of Major General Anthony Wayne.
See also
External links
- Facsimile of 1789 Act
- Cyclopædia of Political Science, Political Economy, and the Political History of the United States by the Best American and European Writers Editor: Lalor, John J. The Land Ordinance of 1785 was adopted by the United States Congress on May 20, 1785. The Illinois-Wabash Company, formally known as the United Illinois and Wabash Land Company, was a company formed in 1779 from the merger of the Illinois Company and the The Ohio Constitution is the basic governing document of the State of Ohio, which in 1803 became the 17th state to join the United States of America. (?-1899) Published: New York: Maynard, Merrill, and Co. , 1899. First published: 1881. From the Library of Economics and Liberty.
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