A Pubficotion ol Michigon Historymogozine
ccordingto President
Franklin Roosevelt,the
Northwest Ordinancewas
the "highway" on which
"the United Stateswas
built." Approvedby
the Continental Congress
on July L3,L787,the Northwest
Ordinanceestablisheda systemto
governthe Northwest Territory.
The Ordinancedeterminedthat the
Northwest Territory (the area east of the
MississippiRiver and north of the Ohio
River) would be carvedinto smaller
territories that eventuallybecamestates.
The Ordinancealso laid out a three-stage
programto governterritories and prepare
them for statehood.
In the first stage,the presidentappointeda
governor,a secretaryand threejudges to govern
a territory. In the secondstage,oncea territory reacheda populationof 5,000free
white adult males,it could elect a
legislature.
-
a populationof 60,000
free residents(both male
and female).The territory
drafted a constitution.
After obtaining congressionalapproval,
the teritory becamea state. When
this happened,the territory according
to the Northwest Ordinance.entered
the Union "on an equal footing with the
original statesin all respectswhatsoever."
Five states-Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Michigan,and Wisconsin-were eventually
formed out of the Northwest Territorv.
The Northwest Ordinancealsoguaranteed that settlersliving in the Northwest
Territory would receivethe samerights enjoyed
by Americansliving in the original thirteen :
states.Theserights were later includedin the
Bill of Rights.
The Northwest Ordinanceestablisheda
systemfor new statesto join the Union in
an orderly fashion.It was one of the most
important documentsin
American history.
to Statehood
According
totheNorthwe$
0rdinonce,
no
fewer
thonthreeondnomore
thonfive
stotes
were
tobeueoted
ouiofthe
Territory.
Northwest
2.
When
Indiono
become
o$otein
I Bl6,thelllinois
lerritory
wos
creoted.
5.
BytheI 830s
theMichigon
Tenitory
strekhed
fromtheDetroit
River
tothe
Missouri
River.
When
0hioentered
theUnion
oso
'l803,
theIndiono
lerritory
$otein
woscreoted.
Becouse
ofthegreotdistonce
Michigonions
hodtotrovel
toconduct
business
otthe
Indiono
copitol,
Detroiters
fortheirown
territory.
osked
IheMichigon
Territory
wos
inlB05
creoted
When
lllinois
become
ostote
in
I BlB,theMichigon
Tenitory
wos
exponded.
When
Michigon
become
o stotein
I 83/,theWisconsin
Territory
woscreoted,
,l848.
Wisconsin
become
o$ote
in