This booklet discusses the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, describing the importance and legacy of the Northwest Ordinance.
1. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Establishing government in the Northwest Territory was important to the new nation for many reasons. First, the frontier had to be strong enough to with- stand any attempt by England, France, or Spain to retake the land for themselves. America’s organized territories needed to have organized fighting units, or militia, for protection. British troops were still close Each section contained 640 acres. A section by, and they weren’t sure the new govern- was divided into 160-acre quarters. More surveying divided the quarters into farms ment would really last. The British wanted and town lots. Graphic (PP) to control the land to help their Ohio Indian allies. The new American nation would have to prove it was strong enough to keep the colonies) were squabbling with each other. territories that the Treaty of Paris had They acted as if they were separate little given it. countries. This could not continue if the The new government also had some United States of America was to survive. serious financial problems. Organizing new The states and federal government needed territories so land could be easily sold gave to work together to grow a new nation. the leaders a way to raise money for the As you have read in the previous national treasury. Similarly, soldiers who section, parts of the western territory were getting more and more upset about were ceded to the federal government by not being paid for their service during the the states that had claimed the land. war could be given land. War leaders, like Therefore, the Northwest Territory George Washington, were especially con- became public domain, meaning it was owned cerned about these angry soldiers. He by the people of the United States through wanted them to be rewarded for their sac- their federal government. As public domain, rifices during the war. Free land and a new this territory would be governed by the beginning were all the government could Congress. The Congress would decide the afford to give them. best way to divide the land, to settle the Finally, establishing new territories land, and to govern the land. The federal would be a way to strengthen a federal gov- survey system (36-square-mile grid) was ernment that seemed to be getting weaker adopted as the method of surveying and all the time. The thirteen states (formerly charting public domain lands. page 37
2. The Importance of the Northwest Ordinance It is said that the three greatest documents in American history are the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. In fact, much of the Constitution came about as a direct result of writings in the Northwest Ordinance. The Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments of the Constitution) actually had its begin- ning in the six articles of the Northwest Ordinance. The survey of Northwest Ohio used the Ohio-Indiana state line as a “First Principal Meridian.” The 41st parallel of north latitude became an intersecting, east-west base line used in surveying. Graphic (QQ) page 38
3. Some of these similarities include: some examples: • freedom of religion • trial by jury • Ownership of the land was passed down to the owner’s descendants. Some • no cruel or unusual punishment people died before their land warrants • freedom from slavery or involuntary were used. The ordinance made a way servitude for a veteran’s family to keep the land that was promised to him. New states would come into the • Governors would govern the territory; nation easily because of the ordinance. first by being appointed by Congress; Ohio would be the first to come from then by being elected when enough people lived there. Today, each of the the Northwest Territory. Later, four 50 states has a governor as its execu- more would come from this territory tive leader. (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and • A secretary would keep track of all Wisconsin). One of the most important legal records for the territory and would send copies to the Congress. A effects of the ordinance was that each Secretary of State is an important new state would enter the nation com- office that remains in effect for all states today. pletely equal to the older states. Never • Judges would be appointed to settle before in the history of the world had disputes between residents in the ter- this been done. The Northwest ritory. This made sure that every American’s rights would be protected Ordinance became a strengthening force no matter where they lived. in the forming and growth of this nation. • Eventually a legislature would be The Northwest Ordinance stated some elected for the region. The state legis- important ideas and rights. Here are lature is the lawmaking part of the state government. Once the Northwest Territory had at least 5,000 free males Along the Ohio Trail Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Mostly Thomas Jefferson, of course. The Northwest Ordinance did not have one author. It didn’t even have a dozen. Over time, this document had the input of many men as it was written and rewritten and passed through committee after committee until it took its final form. All of the writers were careful of one thing: that they didn’t write anything that sounded like something the British would have written. They replaced the words “colony” and “colonial” (though the Northwest area was certainly a colony of the new government) with “territory” and “territorial.” We still use that language today. Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands are U.S. territories — not colonies — and we have many others. All but 20 of our 50 states were territories before becoming states. The exceptions are the 13 colonies, California, Kentucky, Maine, Texas, Vermont, Tennessee and West Virginia. page 39
4. over the age of 21 living there, a leg- leaders of the original states were not islative council was formed and a house especially happy about this part). Most of representatives could be elected. state constitutions are similar to each • The governor would be the commander- in-chief of the militia. other. The Northwest Ordinance tells • The governor would appoint (choose) how a state will be governed and what sheriffs to protect the citizens. Ohio rights the citizens can enjoy: still has sheriffs in most counties, but they are now elected rather than appointed. • Civil and religious freedoms were to be protected. Civil rights (rights as citi- • The governor would arrange for surveys zens of the United States) and reli- of the land as needed. gious rights (freedom to worship however one wants) are among the most A constitution was the last of three important parts of the ordinance. steps needed for a territory to become a • Every person would have rights state. (The first was the appointment of in court. a governor, secretary, and three judges; • Waterways leading to the Mississippi River and St. Lawrence Seaway would the second was the forming of a house of be forever free of taxation. representatives.) A constitution could be • Provisions were made for no fewer than drawn up (written) once a region had three and no more than five states in 60,000 inhabitants. After revisions and the Northwest Territory. As we know, five states were created from this final approval of its constitution, the ter- territory. ritory could apply to the federal govern- • Slavery was prohibited. The ordinance ment for statehood. Any states coming stated, “There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in said into the nation would be on “equal footing” territory.” Nearly 100 years later, with the original states (some of the after the Civil War, the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Along the Ohio Trail Can you see how the ideas in the Northwest Ordinance have affected Ohio? Who is the governing leader of Ohio today? Do we have a state legislature? Who represents your area? Does your county have a sheriff? On what side was Ohio during the Civil War? Why? page 40
5. Constitution would repeat almost the It would not run over the natives to same words — ending slavery in the do so. One section of the ordinance United States. stated that: • Education was encouraged. “The utmost good faith shall always be The Legacy of observed toward the Indians. Their lands and the Ordinance property shall never be taken from them without their consent; and in their property, rights, and A legacy is something that is left liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed for the future by someone or something. unless in just and lawful wars authorized by The legacy of the Northwest Ordinance Congress.” was a nation that reached “from sea to Unfortunately, years later, the last shining sea.” Before this ordinance, there part of this section was used to justify was no method by which a territory could (make an excuse for) taking lands from become a state. With this ordinance, not them in Ohio, but especially in the Great only was a method adopted, but it was a Plains and farther western lands. method that worked well. As the nation So, with the method ready, the grew, the method made the path smooth. nation was set to go — into the Northwest Territory to grow the nation. Along the Ohio Trail Most early settlers wanted to live in the woodland areas. Because these people were farmers, they believed that this was the best land for growing crops. They figured if trees grew there, then crops would, too. Before they could plant anything, they had to clear the land. There were two ways to remove the trees: cutting them down or killing them. The settlers girdled the trees. They cut away some bark from the tree all the way around, like a belt of missing bark. Soon the tree would die. Once the trees in an area had died, Farmers removed all the bushes and grasses (underbrush) so they could plow the land. They used axes and saws to cut down the trees, and the timber (wood) was used to build their cabins, fences, and other buildings. Logs would be dragged to the building site. Bark was removed and logs were smoothed out as much as possible. They cut notches in the ends of the logs so they could stack them to make the cabin’s walls. Then they filled the cracks between the logs with mud or clay. Inside, a finished cabin had either dirt floors or flat log boards to walk on. A fireplace kept the home warm, gave light in the evening, and provided heat for cooking. Families also used candles and lanterns for more lighting. A loft, an upstairs area reached by a homemade ladder, was built where the children usually slept. The first crop of these early settlers was corn, because it was so versatile (able to be used many ways). Dried corn was ground up into cornmeal and used to make cornbread, mush, and johnnycakes — a corn pancake. Corn was fed to livestock. Some was saved as seed for the next year’s crop. Ohio’s rich soils made farming successful. Today Ohio still produces great corn crops — and more! page 41
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