NORTHWEST TERRITORY. In American history, that portion of the national domain ly ing, roughly speaking, north of the Ohio River• east of the Mississippi. south of the Great Lakes, and west of Pennsylvania, and embracing terri tory which constitutes the present States of Ohio. Indiana. Illinois, Michigan. Wiseonsin, and part of Minnesota—a total area of about 265.878 square miles. This territory passed into the pos session of Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. and by her was ceded to the United States of America in 1783. The greater part of it was claimed on the basis of their early charters. by Virginia. New York. Massachusetts, and Connec ticut. The other States refused to recognize these claims, and insisted that this territory should belong to the country as a whole. In 1780 Congress gave a solemn pledge that if the lands thus el:limed were ceded to the Confederation they should be disposed of for the common bene fit of all the States and admitted into the Union as repuldiean States, and on an equal footing with the original States. (hi the strength of this pledge New York ceded her claims in 178I. Vir ginia hers in 1754, Massachusetts her. in 1785, and Connecticut hers in 1786. Al1 of these col onies. Iow•ever. reserved for special purposes cer tain lands from the cession. Thus Virginia retained in \villa is now the Southern part of (Olio a considerable area, known as the Virginia Ifist riet • and Connecticut retained 3.25ossal acres, known as the Western Reserve (q.v.). in what is now the northern part of By an ordinance of 1785 t'ongress made provision for surveying the lands thus ceded. The lands were then thrown open fur sale, nod the result was a great influx of immigrants front the older states. On the first of „March, 1784, the cry day on which Virginia completed her cession, Jefferson, as chairman of a committee, reported to Congress a temporary plan of government which was adopted on April 2311. Jefferson's scheme contemplated the division of the territory into new States, divided by lines of latitude two degrees apart, and intersected by two meridians of longitude to be drawn through the mouth of the Kanawha and the falls of the Ohio, and to the new States thus created were to he given the names of Sylvania, Miehigania, Cherson e-sus, Assenisipia, ...Mesopotamia. Illinoia, Wash ington. Polypotamia. and Pelisipia. The ordi nance further provided that after the year 1800 neither slavery nor involuntary servitude should exist in any of the said States except as a punish ment for crime. This ordinance never went into effect, and was repealed by the celebrated ordi nance of 1787. This latter ordinance was pre pared by a committee of which Nathan Dame, of Massachusetts, was chairman, nail received the approval of Congress, July 13. 1787. It was
a constitution of government for the Northwest Territory, and contained, besides, six articles of compact between the old States and the new states to be created out of the said territory. It that there should be formed out of the territory in question nut less than three or more than five States, and undertook to detine their boundaries. For the purposes of temporary government this vast domain was constituted into one district, and was com mitted to the rule of a governor, a secretary, and three judges, all appointed by Congress_ the election of a legislature. the Governor and the judges sitting together were authorized to adopt such laws of the original States as they deemed necessary and suitable, subject to the approval of Congress. Provision was made for a legislature to he called into exist ence as soon as there were 5000 free male in habitants of full age in the territory. It was to consist of a Legislative Ctameil composed of tire members chosen by Ctmgress, and a House of Nepresentatives chosen by freeholders. There were also a number of organie provisions regarding laud tenure. taxation. inheritanees, and t he alienation of property. The articles of compact constituted a sort of hill of rights, and guaranteed freedom of religious worship and Islief, the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, trial by jury. benefit of the munition law, the security of private contracts, and free dom of navigable waters. Finally the North west Territory was dedicated to freedom by the famous article that prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude. In October, 17S7, Gen eral Arthur St. Clair, a veteran of the French and Itevolutionary Wars, was appointed the first Oovernor of the Territory. In July of the fol lowing year he reached :Marietta, the seat of government for the Territory, and his first act was an order for the creation of \Vashington County. Shortly thereafter appointed a num ber of magistrates and established a Court of Quarter Sessions. In 1798, the population hav ing far exceeded the required number. a legisla ture was called and met for the tiro time at Cin cinnati, September 24. 1799. The Lower Ilouse consisted of 22 representing the nine hainties of the Territory. In July. 18.00, the western part of the Territory was constituted into the Distriet of Indiana, with William llenry Harrison as Oovernor, and with Vincennes as cap ital. In January. 1805, Michigan 'Territory was created. with (:en. William Hull as Governor; in February. 1809. the Illinois Territory was organ ized. with Kaskaskia as its seat of government, and in 1836, part of Michigan tory was organized into the Territory of 'Wis consin. Consult: Hinsdale. The Old .Vorthicest (New York. 1891) ; and 3loore, The Northwest Cnuhr 'Three Flags (New York, 1900),