Which 1787 law created the Northwest Territory during the nation-building era commemorated by America250?

The Northwest Ordinance created the Northwest Territory during the nation-building era commemorated by America250.

The Confederation Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance on July 13, 1787. It organized lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River into the Northwest Territory, establishing a structure for territorial government and eventual statehood.

The ordinance provided a path by which territories could become states on an equal footing with the original states. It also prohibited slavery in the territory, protected certain civil liberties, and encouraged public education, although the law did not end slavery elsewhere in the United States.

The territory eventually supplied land for Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. The first state formed from it was Ohio, admitted to the Union in 1803. The Northwest Ordinance is sometimes confused with the Land Ordinance of 1785, which primarily established a system for surveying and selling western lands.