Key events:
The Northwest Ordinance (1785-1787): Charter for a Continental Republic
Stage 1:
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| New states:
Old Illinois capitol, Vandalia (pictures courtesy Wikimedia Commons) A Vision for America “[T]he Ordinance is more than a blueprint for constitutional expansion. Drafted at a time of sectional division and constitutional crisis, it also embodies a vision of a more harmonious, powerful, prosperous and expanding union. To plan for the addition of new western states when the existing union appeared to be on its last legs was an act of faith.” -Peter Onuf, Statehood and UnionThe Northwest Territory (courtesy Wikimedia commons) ) |