Historians refer to the Northwest Ordinance as one of the three most important documents in American history, yet few people have ever even heard of it. This document is so important that it is ranked among the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The Northwest Ordinance has had a tremendous impact on the United States and specifically the state of Ohio. The Northwest Ordinance was enacted by Congress on July 13, 1787. Credited with the framing of the ordinance usually are Nathan Dane and Manasseh Cutler of Massachusetts and Rufus King of New York. From the Knepper reading, I learned that the reason the Northwest Ordinance is so widely unknown is because it stayed in the shadows because the new U.S. Constitution was being …show more content…
It included three stage sof governmental development within the territories. The first stage is when Congress would appoint a governor, secretary, and judges. They could then select laws from existing state codes. The governor had executive power over the militia and affairs with the Native Americans, but there was still no legislature at this point in the process. When the territory had 5,000 land owning white adult men they were then able to form a legislature called a General Assembly. The General Assembly consisted of the governor, legislative council, and house of representatives. There were land owning requirements to be able to vote or hold office. The writers of the Northwest Ordinance wanted to ensure that only those with stake in society would be able to vote or hold office. The higher the office, the more land the person was required to hold. The third section of the document stated that “there shall be formed in the said territory, not less than three nor more than five States” (Knepper 58). The said territory refers to the land south of Canada and east of the Mississippi. All of these elements of the document were important to the new …show more content…
It not only allowed the nation to grow, but made an orderly process for this expansion and growth. A later provision to the document may be one of the most influential on the country. It stated that if any territories had at least 60,000 free inhabitants they would be able to have delegates in the U.S. Congress. Not only did it insure that the new states could have a voice in Congress, but that they would be “on an equal footing with the original states in all respects” (Knepper 58). Not only did the Northwest Ordinance discuss territorial growth, but also academic growth within the country. Although it’s framers did not provide much support, the did give an important statement on education. The document reads, “religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools, and the means of education shall forever be encouraged” (Knepper 59). Another small detail, but important point was that the ordinance mentioned the relationship of those in the territories with slaves and Native Americans. In the document slavery was unlawful in the new territory, but any slave escaping to the territory would possibly be “lawfully reclaimed” by their master. The framers of the Northwest Ordinance wanted the territory to be free, but not a “haven” for runaway slaves (Knepper 59). In regard to the Native Americans they wrote, “the utmost good faith shall
In the origins of the civil war the United Sates was going through social, economic, and territorial changes. The US population was growing exponentially due to its increase of immigration which forced them to move westwards. The northwest territory was the first land created outside of the original states it was also north and west of the Ohio river. In the year 1787 Congress passed a law called the Northwest Land Ordinance which provided a method for the United States to admit new territories and equal representation to the north and the south based on population where every state will send representatives to congress which made the north and south add more states to each of their sides so they could have more representatives on congress
Lee resisted efforts to give Congress the power to regulate commerce and to impose customs duties. He viewed commerce as an enemy to virtue and the breeder of the mercantile aristocracy that had corrupted Europe. He felt that a Congress with an independent income would threaten the liberties of the states. Lee approved the Northwest Ordinance because of its property guarantees and the Articles of Confederation because of their guarantees of liberty. He believed that social happiness was to be found in "a wise and free republic and a virtuous people.
The most important and prominent example of a success established by the Confederation Government was the resolution of a series of territorial disputes among the states, and the establishment of a process by which territories could eventually be admitted as new states, equal to the original 13, under the Land Ordinances of 1784 and 1785. The Confederation Government demanded claim of the Western states previously occupied by larger states in Congress. The Confederation controlled enough land to permit Congress to begin making policy for the Western lands. The Ordinances of 1784 and 1785 divided Western territory into ten self governing districts, each of which were given powers by the Confederation Government to “petition congress for statehood”
The Act led to an array of legal and moral arguments for and against the need to relocate the Indians westward from the agriculturally productive lands of the Mississippi in Georgia and parts of Alabama. This paper compares and contrasts the major arguments for and against the
There was more to consider in adding a huge swath of land to a country than just the profits. Three things were necessary to address in attempting to open the Northwest territory: Legislation for the new land, Natives Americans living in the land, and how to Americanize the new land. Before anything else, the new territory would need laws to protect and govern the people. The laws for this territory are called the Northwest Ordinance. It secured basic rights for the Americans living in the territory, but it has some clauses that are greatly important.
Ministers preached sermons that supported the revolutions, and this idea was from Elizabethan time. Well known revolutionaries came from many denominations. The Northwest Ordinance, that was passed July 13, 1787, stated that, “Religion, Morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, Schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. ”2 Along with that statement, the belief that a virtuous society would only come from a relationship between church and state also evolved.
The way the government handled issues during land ordinance was handled in a positive way, but it had a negative impact on the native Americans. The colonies were getting overcrowded and there were less job opportunities for people so many decided to move out. The Native American land had been taken away from them, they were wiped out of their homes and it did involve violence. The map shows how much the colonist had expanded their land into the native American land. On the bright side the land the land had provided many affordable homes for people like the township.
With the Indians finally placed in a spot which is theirs, though far away from where they were born, a fake delegation arises and causes them to withdraw from that land. "It comes to us, not through our legitimate authorities, the known and usual medium of communication between the Government of the United States and our nation, but through the agency of a complication of powers, civil and military. ” (Cherokee letter protesting the Treaty of New Echota, 1836), without looking back, and only viewing their future straight forward, the US takes everything they can and don’t even try to reduce the Native Indians ' pain. Instead of trying to solve the main problem and stop the treaty from forcing the Native Indians out of their land, they sent troops to make it fast and clean. "Our property may be plundered before our eyes; violence may be committed on our persons; even our lives may be taken away, and there is none to regard our complaints. …
The northwest ordinance created a lot of problems for the government. Such as How many people must be in a territory before it could apply for statehood and join the rest of the states. Or how many states could develop in that area. But one of the bigger topics was slavery. What would the government do about the question of slavery, or at least how far would they go?
The Pacific Northwest is a geographical region in the northwestern United states that consists of the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The region is known for its technology, environment, and culture diversity. When Europeans and white Americans discovered the Northwest, they made claims over the land and succeeded in claiming the Northwest from the British and the Spanish. The arrival of the British led to major changes in the Northwest such as the fur trade and to relationships with the Native Americans through marriages. The arrival of the Americans in the mid-1800s led to changes in the environment such as farming, logging, and fishing.
This treaty was between the Dakota and Pike/US. Through signing treaties with the US government, the Dakota lost the majority of their land. The Dakota became very dependant on Government goods since they lost their hunting lands. The U.S Government kicked out the Native Americans for room for the white settlers. Minnesota became a territory until it took
Although this was a big step towards emancipation, the Northwest Ordinance also stated that any slave that escaped to the Ohio territory was to be returned to their master (Doc. H). The Revolution also brought social change. The Loyalists
DBQ Essay The United States Constitution is a document that or founding fathers made in order to replace the failing Articles of Confederation (A of C). Under the Constitution, the current government and states don’t have the problems they faced when the A of C was in action. The Constitution was created in 1788, and held an idea that the whole nation was nervous about. This idea was a strong national government, and the Federalist assured the people that this new government would work. The framers of the Constitution decided to give more power to the Federal government rather than the state governments because the A of C had many problems, there was a need for the layout of new government, rights, and laws, and there was a need for the Federal
Before the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, many states own land in the area that was considered in the Northwest, is east of the Mississippi River and North of the Ohio River. When all the states were in debt from the American Revolution, the Central government offered that if the states gave up their land in the Northwest, the central government will pay their debt. This was named the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. This also created rules on creating a new state. The land that the states gave up cannot have slaves and in order an area to become a state, they must have a population of 5000 males or 60000 people.
Throughout the 19th century Native Americans were treated far less than respectful by the United States’ government. This was the time when the United States wanted to expand and grow rapidly as a land, and to achieve this goal, the Native Americans were “pushed” westward. It was a memorable and tricky time in the Natives’ history, and the US government made many treatments with the Native Americans, making big changes on the Indian nation. Native Americans wanted to live peacefully with the white men, but the result of treatments and agreements was not quite peaceful. This precedent of mistreatment of minorities began with Andrew Jackson’s indian removal policies to the tribes of Oklahoma (specifically the Cherokee indians) in 1829 because of the lack of respect given to the indians during the removal laws.