LETS GET SOME LAND!!!
WHERE DID THEY GET THIS LAND???
 Until about 1780 the lands of the Northwest Territory were
claimed by several existing states including New York and
Virginia.
 These states soon ceded their territorial holding to the central
government and by the time the American Revolution ended in
1783, specific measures were needed to guide the settlement
and division of the Northwest territory.
 The Ordinance of 1784, drafted by Thomas Jef ferson and
passed by Congress divided the territory into a handful of self governing districts.
 It stipulated that each district could send one representative
to Congress upon attaining a population of 20,000, and it
would become eligible for statehood when its population
equaled that of the least populous existing state.
 This ordinance was superseded by the Ordinance of 1787
LAND ORDINANCE OF 1785
 Provided for the scientific surveying of the territory’s lands
 Provided for a systematic subdivision of this land
 Land would be subdivided according to a rectangular grid
system; the basic unit of land grant was the township which
was a square area measuring six miles on each side.
 A township could then be subdivided into a number of
rectangular parcels of individually owned land.
 The minimum land sale was set at one square mile (640
acres), and the minimum price per acre was $1 .
 Once section in each township was to be set aside for a
school.
 These procedures formed the basis of the American public
land policy until the Homestead Act of 1862.
NORTHWEST ORDINANCE OF 1787
 T he Most impor tant of t hese Land Acts
 Laid the basis for the government of the Nor thwest Territor y and for the
admission of its constituent par ts as states into the Union.
 Under this ordinance, each district was to be governed by a governor and
judges appointed by Congress until it attained a population of 5,000 adult
FREE males, at which time it would become a territor y and could form its
own representative legislature
 The Nor thwest Territor y must eventually comprise a minimum of three and
a maximum of five of five states.
 An individual territor y could be admitted to statehood in the Union af ter
having attained a population of 60,000.
 Under the ordinance, slaver y was forever outlawed from the lands of the
Nor thwest Territor y.
 Freedom of religion and other civil liber ties were guaranteed
 The resident Native Americans were promised decent treatment; and
education was provided for.
 Under this ordinance, the principle of granting new states equal rather
than inferior status to older ones was firmly established.
 The ordinances were a major accomplishment of the of ten -maligned
government under the Ar ticles of Confederation.