“Northwest” Expansion

Not all of the A of C were ineffective Settlement of the “western lands” was

decided

The Confederation

State Claims to Western Lands

O of 1784:◦ Western land that was owned by states was

ceded to the federal gov’t◦ Divided into ten self-governing districts

Could petition for statehood Sought to avoid creating second class citizens

O of 1785:◦ Created a system of surveying and selling land

The Ordinances

O of 1785 divided up land into a grid◦ Jefferson’s plan

Influenced by the Enlightenment ideas of mathematical forms of land distribution

Became the norm for land distribution in land west of the Appalachians

The Grid

Land Ordinance

Plot #16 was set aside for public education

Public Land sold for $1.00 to $2.00 an acre = pay debt

Northwest Territory

O of 1785 let land be sold and that went sideways◦ Sold only to a few speculators

Too much land power in the hands of the few Abandoned the earlier ten districts and

created a single Northwest Territory◦ Lands north of the Ohio

Northwest Ordinance

Could be split into between three and five territories◦ 60,000 residents= new state!

New rules◦ You will be working with these today!

Surprise! Too much expansion and some uncontrolled

expansion led to conflicting land claims in that region (Way to go Congress!!)

N.O. cont.

Ohio

1ST STEP

WHEN PEOPLE FIRST SETTLE IN

THE AREA:

Congress appoints a governor and three judges to govern the

territory

2nd STEP

5,000 FREE ADULT MALES:

Landowners elect a congress to make laws

and raise taxes with approval of governor. 1 representative is elected to the US Congress who can debate but not vote.

3rd STEP60,000 SETTLERS:

Becomes a state, with its own government and

constitution. New states admitted with same rights as the original states. No

more than 5 states can carved out of this area.

Confederation divided up, and gave away, land that was already claimed by N.A. tribes!

Tried to persuade N.A. tribes to sign treaties ceding those western lands◦ Didn’t work

Fighting broke out◦ 1790 & 1791 the Miami tribe beat US forces in

two major battles on the Ohio frontier

Indians and the Western Lands

Battle of Fallen Timbers◦ Gen. Anthony Wayne◦ 4,000 troops

US defeated the Miami Miami signed the Treaty of Greenville

◦ Ceded major lands to the US in exchange for a formal acknowledgement of their claim to the territory Affirmed that N.A. lands could only be ceded by the

tribes themselves Yea, right!

More Indians…