Which territory did the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 organize for future U.S. statehood?

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 organized the Northwest Territory for future U.S. statehood.

The ordinance created a government for lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. This region became known as the Northwest Territory and later formed all or part of several states, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.

Adopted by the Confederation Congress on July 13, 1787, the ordinance established a process for territorial government and eventual admission as states. It set population thresholds for moving from territorial government toward statehood and prohibited slavery in the territory, although it did not end slavery elsewhere in the United States.

The Northwest Ordinance is often remembered alongside the Constitution because both were adopted in 1787, but they were separate measures. The ordinance governed western lands, while the Constitution created the structure of the federal government.