What was the purpose of the Northwest Ordinance?

The purpose of the Northwest Ordinance, enacted in 1787, was to establish a framework for settling and governing the Northwest Territory, which included areas that would become several U.S. states. It set the process for admitting new states to the Union and included important provisions for the rights of inhabitants.

In these territories, slavery was banned. The ordinance stated that there should be no slavery in the Northwest Territory, promoting the idea of free labor and helping to set the stage for the future political tensions over slavery in the United States.