Essay On The Northwest Ordinance Of 1787

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787
During the late 1780s, many U.S. citizens were interested in purchasing land in the Ohio River Valley area. These citizens eventually got Congress to pass the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. This ordinance gave settlers basic rights and illegalized slavery in the Ohio River Valley. There were three major parts to creating new states within the ordinance. The first section stated that when a new territory began to establish, Congress would appoint a governor, a secretary, and three judges for that territory. The second section of the Northwest Ordinance only applied to territories including a population of 5,000 free adult males. It stated that once the territory met that criteria, it could elect a legislature. The final part of the Northwest Ordinance allowed territories with 60,000 free settlers to request for statehood.
The U.S. Constitution
Although the U.S. Constitution states that “all men are created equal,” during America’s early days it only applied to upper class white men. This upsets many people in the United States. When the Constitution first came into play, only the rich white men were treated right. As the years progressed, more and more whites

This helped manufacturers from New England, and led to a crisis known as the nullification crisis. Vice President John C. Calhoun of South Carolina argued that states had a right to nullify this law. Many southerners were against tariff because they feared that if the federal government could do that, they could end slavery as well. They hoped to stop this by nullifying the tariff law because it would weaken the federal government. President Andrew Jackson defended the tariffs, and Congress listened to Jackson, and passed another tariff law. After that, South Carolina became fed up and threatened to secede. Eventually, the two sides came to peace and ended the