What territory did the Northwest Ordinance organize as America’s first federally governed territory?

The Northwest Ordinance organized the Northwest Territory as America’s first federally governed territory.

Congress adopted the ordinance on July 13, 1787, while the government still operated under the Articles of Confederation. The territory covered land north and west of the Ohio River, including areas that later became several Midwestern states.

The ordinance established a process for territorial government and eventual statehood. It also set a minimum population threshold for applying for statehood and protected certain civil rights for settlers.

The measure prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory, making it an important early federal restriction on slavery’s expansion. The territory eventually produced Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota, although statehood occurred over many decades.