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Article: Ordinances of 1784, 1785, and 1787
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
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ORDINANCES OF 1784, 1785, AND 1787
ORDINANCES OF 1784, 1785, AND 1787.
In a series of ordinances enacted between 1784 and 1787, the Confederation Congress established the framework for the privatization of the national domain and for the expansion of the union. In compliance with conditions set forth in land cessions of the regions north and west of the Ohio River by Virginia (1 March 1784) and other states, Congress determined that public lands would be sold for the benefit of the United States as a whole and that settlements would eventually be formed into new states.
The first ordinance for territorial government, approved by Congress on 23 April 1784, invited settlers to form ...