How did the Land Ordinance of 1785 affect the West?

How did the Land Ordinance of 1785 affect the West?

Description. The Land Ordinance of 1785 was passed by the U.S. Congress under the Articles of Confederation. It laid out the process by which lands west of the Appalachian Mountains were to be surveyed and sold. The method of creating townships and sections within townships was used for all U.S. land after 1785.

How did the Land Ordinance Survey Western lands?

Land was to be systematically surveyed into square townships, 6 mi (9.7 km) on a side, each divided into thirty-six sections of 1 sq mi (2.6 km2) or 640 acres (260 ha). These sections could then be subdivided for re-sale by settlers and land speculators.

What were the two land divisions created by the Land Ordinance of 1785?

In hopes of raising revenue from the sale of western land, Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785. It provided for the division of the Northwest Territory into townships, each of which would be subdivided into lots a mile square, or 640 acres.

How were townships divided under the ordinance?

How were townships divided under the Ordinance of 1785? The townships were divided into 36 sections of 640 acres. What was the purpose of the bill of rights in the Northwest Ordinance? It guaranteed freedom of religion, trial by jury, and no slavery.

How was land divided in the Northwest Territory?

Land was to be subdivided according to a rectangular grid system. The basic unit of land grant was the township, which was a square area measuring six miles on each side. A township could then be subdivided into a number of rectangular parcels of individually owned land.

How did the Land Ordinance of 1785 first divide land into states into territories into colonies into townships?

The Land Ordinance of 1785 set up a system for settling the Northwest Territory. The law called for the territory to be surveyed and divided into townships. Each township would then be further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each (640 acres). With this process, each territory had a clear path to statehood.

How did the Land Ordinance of 1785 first divide land?

How did the Western Land Ordinance of 1785 work?

The Western Land Ordinance of 1785 put the 1784 Land Ordinance into operation by providing a mechanism for selling and settling the land. The federal surveyors divided the land into carefully planned individual square townships. Each side of the township square was to be six miles in length containing thirty-six square miles of territory.

What was the Land Ordinance of the Continental Congress?

Each township was split into 36 sections, 1 square mile (640 acres) each and numbered 1 to 36. In addition, the acreage in section 16 of each township could be sold and the money used to build and maintain a school. The Land Ordinance set a minimum purchase amount of one section (640 acres) for $640, $1 per acre.

When did Virginia turn over its western land claims?

When Virginia completed the cession, or turning over, of its western land claims in 1784 (see first excerpt of this chapter), Congress knew it was only a matter of time before other states holding claims would do the same. Congress directed that a committee be formed to establish how western lands were to be divided and sold.

How did the federal government divide the land?

The federal surveyors divided the land into carefully planned individual square townships. Each side of the township square was to be six miles in length containing thirty-six square miles of territory. The township was then divided into one-square mile sections, with each section receiving its own number and encompassing 640 acres.