Which 1787 law organized the Northwest Territory and set rules for future states?

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 organized the Northwest Territory and established rules for creating future states.

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

The ordinance created a system for territorial government and statehood. It also guaranteed certain civil liberties, encouraged public education, and prohibited slavery in the territory, although the law did not end slavery elsewhere in the United States.

The Northwest Ordinance is sometimes confused with the Land Ordinance of 1785, which mainly established a surveying system and township grid. The two measures were related but served different purposes.