What was the name of the first organized incorporated territory created by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 created the Northwest Territory, the first organized incorporated territory of the United States.

Congress enacted the ordinance on July 13, 1787, while the Confederation Congress still governed under the Articles of Confederation. The territory covered land north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River, including areas that later became Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.

The ordinance established a process for territorial government and eventual statehood. It also prohibited slavery in the territory and included provisions concerning religious freedom, education, jury trials, and civil rights. The law helped create a model for later American expansion: territories could be organized and then admitted as states rather than remaining permanent colonies. The First Congress reaffirmed the ordinance in 1789, after the Constitution created the new federal government. The Northwest Territory should not be confused with the modern Pacific Northwest region.