The Northwest Ordinance was a piece of legislation created in 1787 that established how new states should be created, which were the requirements for a territory to become a state and who could govern those new territories.
Under the Ordinance, Judges and Governors were appointed by the Congress and they would rule a territory until it contained 5 thousand free male habitants of voting age, after that they would elect a territorial legislature. When the population reached 60 thousand they would submit a Constitution and then the State would be ready to join the Union.
