The Purpose Of The Northwest Ordinance

Historians refer to the Northwest Ordinance as one of the three most important documents in American history, yet few people have ever even heard of it. This document is so important that it is ranked among the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The Northwest Ordinance has had a tremendous impact on the United States and specifically the state of Ohio. The Northwest Ordinance was enacted by Congress on July 13, 1787. Credited with the framing of the ordinance usually are Nathan Dane and Manasseh Cutler of Massachusetts and Rufus King of New York. From the Knepper reading, I learned that the reason the Northwest Ordinance is so widely unknown is because it stayed in the shadows because the new U.S. Constitution was being

It included three stage sof governmental development within the territories. The first stage is when Congress would appoint a governor, secretary, and judges. They could then select laws from existing state codes. The governor had executive power over the militia and affairs with the Native Americans, but there was still no legislature at this point in the process. When the territory had 5,000 land owning white adult men they were then able to form a legislature called a General Assembly. The General Assembly consisted of the governor, legislative council, and house of representatives. There were land owning requirements to be able to vote or hold office. The writers of the Northwest Ordinance wanted to ensure that only those with stake in society would be able to vote or hold office. The higher the office, the more land the person was required to hold. The third section of the document stated that “there shall be formed in the said territory, not less than three nor more than five States” (Knepper 58). The said territory refers to the land south of Canada and east of the Mississippi. All of these elements of the document were important to the new

It not only allowed the nation to grow, but made an orderly process for this expansion and growth. A later provision to the document may be one of the most influential on the country. It stated that if any territories had at least 60,000 free inhabitants they would be able to have delegates in the U.S. Congress. Not only did it insure that the new states could have a voice in Congress, but that they would be “on an equal footing with the original states in all respects” (Knepper 58). Not only did the Northwest Ordinance discuss territorial growth, but also academic growth within the country. Although it’s framers did not provide much support, the did give an important statement on education. The document reads, “religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools, and the means of education shall forever be encouraged” (Knepper 59). Another small detail, but important point was that the ordinance mentioned the relationship of those in the territories with slaves and Native Americans. In the document slavery was unlawful in the new territory, but any slave escaping to the territory would possibly be “lawfully reclaimed” by their master. The framers of the Northwest Ordinance wanted the territory to be free, but not a “haven” for runaway slaves (Knepper 59). In regard to the Native Americans they wrote, “the utmost good faith shall