Question

How were public lands in the West divided by the land ordinance of 1785

Answer 1

The public lands in the West were divided into township as per the land ordinance of 1785. Those townships had a total area of 36 square miles and that in turn got divided into 36 lots of 640 acres each. for every such township, one lot was always reserved for schools to be made while three lots were kept for the veterans. the remaining lots were sold to the public. This land ordinance of 1785 was adopted by the Continental Congress on May 20 of the year 1985. This ordinance remained in effect and formed the foundation for the Homestead Act in the year 1862.