Which policy established a framework for admitting new territories from the Northwest to statehood?

Which policy established a framework for admitting new territories from the Northwest to statehood?

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

Answer: (B)

The policy being tested is a plan that creates an orderly path for turning new lands into states. The Northwest Ordinance did this for the Northwest Territory, providing a clear sequence from governance to statehood. It started with a territorial government led by a governor, secretary, and judges. As the territory grew and reached about 5,000 free adults, residents could elect a territorial legislature. When the population reached roughly 60,000 free inhabitants, the people could draft a constitution and petition for admission as a state with equal status to the original states. The Ordinance also laid down rights for settlers, including religious liberty and trial by jury, and it prohibited slavery in the territory, signaling how new states would be brought in on a basis of standardized governance and rights. This framework differs from other items that dealt with different issues: for example, one document was about seeking reconciliation with Britain during the Revolution, another arranged land surveys and sales, and another ended the war with Britain and recognized independence.

The policy being tested is a plan that creates an orderly path for turning new lands into states. The Northwest Ordinance did this for the Northwest Territory, providing a clear sequence from governance to statehood. It started with a territorial government led by a governor, secretary, and judges. As the territory grew and reached about 5,000 free adults, residents could elect a territorial legislature. When the population reached roughly 60,000 free inhabitants, the people could draft a constitution and petition for admission as a state with equal status to the original states. The Ordinance also laid down rights for settlers, including religious liberty and trial by jury, and it prohibited slavery in the territory, signaling how new states would be brought in on a basis of standardized governance and rights. This framework differs from other items that dealt with different issues: for example, one document was about seeking reconciliation with Britain during the Revolution, another arranged land surveys and sales, and another ended the war with Britain and recognized independence.