Which 1787 U.S. law created the framework for governing western territories and admitting new states?

The Northwest Ordinance created the framework for governing western territories and admitting new states in 1787.

Enacted by the Confederation Congress on July 13, 1787, the law organized the Northwest Territory—the region north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. It established a territorial government and outlined a path from federally administered territory to statehood.

The ordinance provided that the territory could eventually produce between three and five states. A territory reaching 60,000 free inhabitants could seek admission to Congress on an equal footing with the original states. Ohio became the first state formed from the Northwest Territory, entering the Union in 1803.

The law also prohibited slavery in the territory, protected religious freedom, encouraged public education, and addressed relations with Native nations. It is sometimes confused with the Land Ordinance of 1785, which primarily established a surveying and land-sale system rather than a statehood framework.