Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance on July 13, 1787.
The Confederation Congress passed the law to organize the Northwest Territory, the region north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. It created a framework for territorial government and eventual statehood rather than treating western lands as permanent colonies.
The ordinance provided for at least three and no more than five future states. It also established a population threshold of 60,000 for a territory seeking admission as a state. The law protected certain civil rights, encouraged education, and prohibited slavery in the territory.
The Northwest Ordinance is often confused with the Constitution, which was signed later in 1787, on September 17. It was also distinct from the Land Ordinance of 1785, which created a surveying system for western lands. The First Congress reaffirmed the ordinance in 1789 with modifications.