What was the date of the Northwest Ordinance, which created the Northwest Territory?

The Northwest Ordinance was enacted on July 13, 1787, creating the Northwest Territory.

Officially titled An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio, the law was passed by the Congress of the Confederation. It governed lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River, an area that later became parts of several Midwestern states.

The ordinance established a process for territorial government and eventual statehood. When a territory reached a population threshold, it could form a constitution and seek admission as a state. The law also guaranteed certain civil rights, encouraged public education, and prohibited slavery in the territory, although it did not immediately end slavery elsewhere.

The Northwest Ordinance is sometimes confused with the Constitution because both date from 1787. The ordinance preceded the Constitution’s signing by more than two months and was an important early example of the new nation organizing its western lands.