What 1787 law organized the Northwest Territory and created a path for new states to join the Union?

The Northwest Ordinance organized the Northwest Territory and created a path for new states to join the Union.

The Confederation Congress enacted the ordinance on July 13, 1787. It governed the region north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River, an area that later became parts or all of several Midwestern states. The law established territorial government and a process for eventual statehood.

The ordinance set a population threshold for territories seeking to draft a constitution and apply for admission. It also prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory, although the broader United States continued to permit slavery in many states and territories. The measure included protections for religious liberty, jury trials, and education.

The Northwest Ordinance was passed before the Constitution took effect, but the First Congress reaffirmed it in 1789 with modifications. Its territorial model became an important precedent for orderly westward expansion and the admission of new states rather than simply enlarging existing states.