Which ordinance established the process for territories in the Northwest to become states?

Which ordinance established the process for territories in the Northwest to become states?

• A. Land Ordinance of 1785
• B. Northwest Ordinance
• C. Olive Branch Petition
• D. Treaty of Paris

Answer: (B)

This question is about how territories in the Northwest could become states and what law set up that path. The Northwest Ordinance is the one that created a system for governing the Northwest Territory and charted the procedure for admission to statehood. It established that once a territory reached about 60,000 free inhabitants and drafted a state constitution, it could apply to become a state, with Congress deciding on admission. It also protected civil liberties, encouraged education, and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory, shaping how new states would be formed. The other options don’t lay out a process for turning territories into states: the Land Ordinance of 1785 dealt with surveying and selling land, the Olive Branch Petition was an attempt to reconcile with Britain, and the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War and set peace terms.

This question is about how territories in the Northwest could become states and what law set up that path. The Northwest Ordinance is the one that created a system for governing the Northwest Territory and charted the procedure for admission to statehood. It established that once a territory reached about 60,000 free inhabitants and drafted a state constitution, it could apply to become a state, with Congress deciding on admission. It also protected civil liberties, encouraged education, and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory, shaping how new states would be formed. The other options don’t lay out a process for turning territories into states: the Land Ordinance of 1785 dealt with surveying and selling land, the Olive Branch Petition was an attempt to reconcile with Britain, and the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War and set peace terms.