<P> The Northwest Ordinance ( formally An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States , North - West of the River Ohio , and also known as The Ordinance of 1787 ) enacted July 13 , 1787 , was an act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States . It created the Northwest Territory , the first organized territory of the United States , from lands beyond the Appalachian Mountains , between British North America and the Great Lakes to the north and the Ohio River to the south . The upper Mississippi River formed the Territory 's western boundary . </P>
during the era of the articles of confederation what did the northwest ordinance of 1787 do
created the Northwest Territory , the first organized territory of the United States , from lands beyond the Appalachian Mountains , between British North America and the Great Lakes to the north and the Ohio River to the south