Northwest Ordinance

Northwest Ordinance, measure adopted by the Congress of Confederation in 1787 that established the government of the Northwest Territory and provided a form through which territories could become states. Congress appointed a territorial governor, a secretary, and 3 judges, and the ordinance said that once the territory had a voting population of 5,000, it could elect a legislature and send a nonvoting representative to Congress. When the population reached 60,000, the territory could seek full admission to the Union.