Which 1785 law established a systematic survey and sale of land in the Northwest Territory?

Which 1785 law established a systematic survey and sale of land in the Northwest Territory?

• A. Northwest Ordinance
• B. Ordinance of 1787
• C. Land Ordinance
• D. Territorial Sale Act

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is how the United States created an orderly way to survey and sell land in the Northwest Territory. In 1785 Congress established the Land Ordinance, which set up a uniform system called the public land survey system. It divided land into townships six miles on each side, with each township divided into 36 sections of 1 square mile (640 acres) each. Land was then offered for sale, with proceeds helping to fund the new government, and one section in every township (Section 16) reserved to support public education. This created a predictable, grid-like method for distributing western lands to settlers. This approach contrasts with the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which mainly addressed governance and the path to statehood rather than how land was surveyed or sold. The term Land Ordinance specifically refers to the surveying-and-sale framework established in 1785.

The main idea here is how the United States created an orderly way to survey and sell land in the Northwest Territory. In 1785 Congress established the Land Ordinance, which set up a uniform system called the public land survey system. It divided land into townships six miles on each side, with each township divided into 36 sections of 1 square mile (640 acres) each. Land was then offered for sale, with proceeds helping to fund the new government, and one section in every township (Section 16) reserved to support public education. This created a predictable, grid-like method for distributing western lands to settlers.

This approach contrasts with the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which mainly addressed governance and the path to statehood rather than how land was surveyed or sold. The term Land Ordinance specifically refers to the surveying-and-sale framework established in 1785.