Which 1787 law organized the Northwest Territory of the early United States?

The Northwest Ordinance organized the Northwest Territory of the early United States in 1787.

Adopted by the Congress of the Confederation on July 13, 1787, the ordinance governed lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. This territory eventually contributed to the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.

The law established a process for territorial government and eventual statehood. It set a population threshold for territories to draft a constitution and apply for admission as a state. It also protected certain civil liberties, encouraged public education, and prohibited slavery in the territory, although it did not end slavery elsewhere in the United States.

The Northwest Ordinance is sometimes confused with the later Homestead Act of 1862, which concerned western land claims by settlers. It also predates the Constitution, showing that the Confederation Congress was still legislating before the new federal government began operating under the Constitution in 1789.