What 1787 law organized the territory northwest of the Ohio River and set rules for forming new states?

The Northwest Ordinance organized the territory northwest of the Ohio River and set rules for forming new states.

The Continental Congress adopted the measure on July 13, 1787, while the Articles of Confederation still governed the United States. It created a territorial government and described a path from appointed administration to elected representation and eventual statehood.

The ordinance prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory, although it did not immediately end slavery elsewhere or settle the national conflict over slavery. It also protected certain civil liberties, encouraged public education, and recognized that Native lands could not be taken without consent under its stated principles.

The territory eventually produced the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as part of Minnesota. The ordinance is often confused with the Land Ordinance of 1785, which established a surveying system for western lands.