On what date was the Northwest Ordinance enacted by the Confederation Congress?

The Northwest Ordinance was enacted by the Confederation Congress 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 created the Northwest Territory. It covered lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River, including territory that later became several Midwestern states.

The ordinance established a process for governing federal territories and admitting new states. It set population thresholds for moving from appointed government toward an elected territorial legislature, and it guaranteed certain civil and legal protections. It also prohibited slavery in the territory, although the ordinance did not immediately end slavery elsewhere in the United States.

The law was passed under the Articles of Confederation shortly before the Constitutional Convention completed its work. The First Congress reaffirmed it in 1789 with modifications. Ohio became the first state created from the Northwest Territory, entering the Union in 1803.