Land Ordinance of 1785 and
Northwest Ordinance of
1787
California Content Standard 8.3.2
By the end of the lesson, I will be able to…
Explain how the ordinances of 1785 and 1787 privatized national
resources and transferred federally owned lands into private
holdings, townships, and states
As evidenced by…
Taking notes and a quiz.
Essential Questions
• What was the purpose of the Land Ordinance of 1785?
• What was the purpose of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?
Early Republic Issues
• After the American Revolution, Congress had to decide what
to do with the western lands now under its control.
• Congress also had to raise money to pay national debts.
• Congress tried to solve both problems by selling the western
lands to the public.
Land Ordinance of 1785
• In May 1785 Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785.
• Set up a system for surveying and dividing the public territory.
• The land was split into townships of 36 square miles.
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Each township was divided into 36 lots of 640 acres each.
One lot was saved for a school.
Four lots were saved for Revolutionary War veterans.
The rest of the lots were sold.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
• To create a political system for the region, Congress passed
the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
• It established the Northwest Territory
• Included the area that is now Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and
Wisconsin.
• Set up a system for dividing the Northwest Territory into several
smaller territories.
• When the population of a territory reached 60,000, its settlers could
draft a constitution and ask Congress for permission to join the
Union as a state.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
• The ordinance had a bill of rights to protect civil liberties.
• It made public education a basic right.
• It also outlawed slavery in the territory.