admitted to the Union as states by Congress, they were governed by Congress as territories. This system of first holding new lands as territories and then giving them all of the rights possessed by the other states, dates from a very famous ordinance passed in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation.

affected by

the Ordi

nance.

220. The Ordinance of 1787.- When the United Territory States became independent of Great Britain, several the Ordiof the states claimed land between the Alleghany nance. Mountains and the Mississippi River which they afterwards ceded to the United States to be governed by Congress for the common benefit. In 1787 there was passed an ordinance for the government of the territory northwest of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi. It provided that the whole territory should Provisions of be governed by officials selected by Congress until enough people should settle there so that they might have a legislature of their own. Not more than five states nor less than three should be formed from this region, as soon as each had a population of sixty thousand. The inhabitants were not only to have perfect religious freedom but more rights than were enjoyed by the people in the other states, and slavery was forever prohibited within the entire region. Long afterwards Daniel Webster said that he doubted Importance "whether any single law of any lawgiver, ancient or modern, has produced effects of more distinct, marked, and lasting character than the ordinance of 1787."

of the Ordinance.

221. Organized Territories and their Relation to Two classes Congress. At present there are two kinds of ter

P

of territories.