Which 1787 law organized U.S. territories north of the Ohio River, a landmark linked to America250 history?

The Northwest Ordinance organized U.S. territories north of the Ohio River, a landmark linked to America250 history.

Congress adopted the Northwest Ordinance on July 13, 1787, under the Articles of Confederation. It created a process for governing the Northwest Territory and for admitting new states on an equal footing with the original states.

The territory covered land that later became Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. The ordinance described territorial government, public education, and civil rights, and it prohibited slavery in the territory.

The ordinance did not immediately create six states. Instead, it established stages of territorial administration and statehood. Its antislavery provision also had important limits: it did not end slavery elsewhere, and fugitives could be reclaimed. The law is remembered as an early framework for U.S. expansion and state creation.