What was the primary purpose of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

• A. To fund national debt
• B. To regulate trade with Britain
• C. To create a standing army
• D. To govern new territories and set a path to statehood while banning slavery in the Northwest Territory

Answer: (D)

The Northwest Ordinance was primarily about how newly organized lands north of the Ohio River would be governed and how they could become states, with slavery barred in that territory. It created an orderly path: a territorial government to start, then a process for free inhabitants to elect a legislature, and finally a route to statehood once a larger population and a constitution were in place. The prohibition of slavery in the Northwest Territory marked a clear policy choice that shaped how the young nation would expand westward. This combination—governing structure, a clear path to statehood, and the slavery ban—defines the ordinance’s enduring purpose and impact on U.S. expansion.