Northwest Ordinance
Northwest Ordinance was an important law passed by the United States Congress on July 13, 1787. The ordinance provided for the government of the region north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania, then called the Northwest Territory. It became a model for all territories that later entered the Union as states. The Northwest Ordinance was largely the work of General Nathan Dane and political leaders Rufus King and Manasseh Cutler.