The Northwest Ordinance created the Northwest Territory in 1787.
The Confederation Congress enacted the measure on July 13, 1787. It organized the lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River, an area transferred to the United States after the Revolutionary War.
The ordinance established a process by which territories could develop governments and eventually become states. It anticipated at least three and no more than five states in the region, helping establish a pattern for American expansion.
The law also included protections for certain civil rights, encouraged education, and prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. Ohio became the first state formed from the territory, entering the Union in 1803. The ordinance is sometimes confused with the Land Ordinance of 1785, which focused mainly on surveying and selling public lands.