Which 1787 law created a government framework for U.S. territory north and west of the Ohio River?

The Northwest Ordinance created a government framework for U.S. territory north and west of the Ohio River in 1787.

The Confederation Congress adopted the ordinance on July 13, 1787. It organized the Northwest Territory, a vast region that later became all or parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The law established stages through which territories could develop governments and seek statehood.

The ordinance set a population threshold for a territory to apply for statehood and provided for elected representation after an initial period of appointed government. It also prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory, making it an important early federal restriction on slavery’s expansion.

The Northwest Ordinance is distinct from the Land Ordinance of 1785, which primarily established a surveying system for western lands. It is also older than the Homestead Act and the Kansas–Nebraska Act. Because the ordinance was enacted under the Articles of Confederation, it demonstrates that the Confederation Congress could still create durable territorial policy.