| the region north of the Ohio River, organized by Congress in 1787, comprising present-day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and the eastern part of Minnesota. |
| Northwest Territory Formerly Old Northwest A historical region of the north-central United States extending from the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to the Great Lakes. The area was ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Paris in 1783. It was officially designated a territory in 1787 and later split up into the territories and present-day states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. Control over the territory was a major issue in the War of 1812. |
Northwest Territory
U.S. territory created by Congress in 1787 encompassing the region lying west of Pennsylvania, north of the Ohio River, east of the Mississippi River, and south of the Great Lakes. Virginia, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts had claims to this area, which they ceded to the central government between 1780 and 1800. Land policy and territorial government were established by the Northwest Ordinances of 1785 and 1787. Ultimately, five states-Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin-were organized from the territory, and a small part, the land lying between the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers, was incorporated into Minnesota.
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