The Northwest Ordinance, 1787
When the new United States government signed the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain in 1783, they gained more than just the land within the 13 American Colonies. They also received a large area of land west of the colonies that came to be known as the Northwest Territory. The question of what was to happen with this unorganized territory was one of the first major issues faced by the new country. The answers to this question would impact all future U.S. land claims and territories. Each new state wanted to gain as much land as they could for themselves, and
from Native Americans, while others simply chose an empty piece of land upon which to build their homestead. This led to arguments and disputes over land ownership. To solve these problems, Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The Ordinance laid out the process by which the Northwest Territory, and future territories, would be admitted as a state to the country. It also ensured that each new state would be equal to all other states, which is not something that was guaranteed before the ordinance was passed. Each territory would have a governor and other government officials appointed by the U.S. Congress. Once 5,000 free men were living in a territory, it would need to have an elected legislative body. Finally, once the population reached 60,000 people and a state constitution had been drafted,
Virginia was moving aggressively to claim as much of the Northwest Territory as they could. Small eastern states like Connecticut and Rhode Island had no realistic claim to the territory because they were separated from it by other states. Because of this, they opposed the enlargement of states like Virginia. Giving those states more land would make them more powerful in the new national government. As a democracy, the states with more land and more people would have a larger say in how the country was run. To further complicate issues of land in the West, soldiers from the Continental Army were given pieces of land for their service during the Revolutionary War. Those former soldiers and other settlers moving west began claiming land for themselves. Some argued that they had bought the land
Treaty of Paris by Benjamin West (left to right: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin)
The last page of the Treaty of Paris, 1783
The Supreme Court The document of the Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio
The Supreme Court
Foreign Policy
It is important for nations to get along with each other for many reasons.
Established by the United States Constitution, the Supreme Court began to take shape with the passage of the Judiciary Act of 1789. At this time, a position on the Court was not seen as glamorous. The networks of courts under the Supreme Court required the justices (members of the Court) to visit frequently. This required days of travel in poor conditions. At first, the justices would
Foreign policy is the government’s guidelines for business with other countries. Some countries wanted to be friends with
the new United States. Others
Keep off! The Monroe Doctrine Must Be Respected, political cartoon by Victor Gillam, 1896
not stay in the Court for their life appointments as suggested in the Constitution. This changed when outgoing president John Adams appointed John Marshall as chief justice in 1800. John Marshall served as chief justice for 34 years until 1834. Several of his fellow justices served for more than 20 years. As the country grew and the government implemented the Constitution, there were many judicial reviews conducted by the Supreme Court. The justices reviewed the laws to determine if they were in agreement with the Constitution. When a law was not in line with the rights of the people as outlined in the Constitution, the law was labeled as unconstitutional. It was no longer considered a law. When a law was “upheld” by the Supreme Court, it meant it supported the rights protected in the Constitution and was considered law. These reviews provided a check and balance of power designed by the Founding Fathers. Justice John Jay by Gilbert Charles Stuart, 1794
wanted to challenge the new government. The continued
rivalry of the governments in Europe caused concern in America. The British were still occupying areas of Canada. France had colonies in the Caribbean. Spain had colonies in Mexico and the southwest territory of North America. These colonies were gaining independence. The United States was concerned that the other European governments would try to restore the colonies. President James Monroe issued a foreign policy order in 1823 known as the Monroe Doctrine. The document of “An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States North West of the River Ohio”. This policy described that any attempt by a European power to exert its influence in the Western Hemisphere would, from then on, be seen by the United States as a threat to its security. The Monroe Doctrine is still a part of U.S. foreign policy today.
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