On what date did the Confederation Congress enact the Northwest Ordinance?

The Confederation Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance on July 13, 1787.

Formally titled An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio, the law organized the Northwest Territory. This region included land north and west of the Ohio River that the United States had acquired after the Revolutionary War.

The ordinance established a process by which territories could eventually become states. It prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory, protected certain civil liberties, and encouraged public education. Its statehood framework became an influential model for later U.S. territorial administration.

The law also addressed relations with Indigenous nations, although its promises were not consistently honored as American settlement expanded. The Northwest Territory later contributed land to several states, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The ordinance was enacted shortly before the Constitutional Convention completed its work in Philadelphia.