“Until that point the United States government did not own a single acre of land. Now, all at once, almost unimaginably, it had acquired some 265,878 square miles of unbroken wilderness, thus doubling the size of the United States.”

David McCullough is here emphasizing the significance of the acquisition of the Northwest Territory following the Revolution. It was to that wilderness, which lacked roads, bridges, and buildings, that the pioneers would travel and settle.

“As would be observed by historians long afterward, the Northwest Ordinance was designed to guarantee what would one day be known as the American way of life.”

The Ordinance did not permit slavery and called for religious freedom and an emphasis on education. It embodied An Idealistic Vision for the Northwest Territory. McCullough associates its ideals with the best in American life.

“In any event, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 would prove to be one of the most far-reaching acts of Congress in the history of the country.”

McCullough compares the Northwest Ordinance to the Declaration of Independence and England’s Magna Carta because it asserted the rights of individuals and applied to a vast territory in the US. It would shape the development of several states and would impact the balance of power between free and slavery-permitting states. McCullough credits M. Cutler for getting this legislation passed.