These two pieces of legislation were far-sighted in their intent and application. It truly affirmed that the United States intended to grow, and that it was a Union of states, rather than a hierarchy of states. The ordinances allowed for new states to be created and admitted to the Union, and described the manner in which they would become co-equals with the original 13 states. Together, they are the most significant legislation that came out of the Articles of Confederation government.
From the time of European discovery, the history of America was a Westward movement of Europeans. Frictions between Native Americans and colonists were apparent before the Revolutionary War. That's what necessitated the Proclamation of 1763. With independence, the citizens of the U.S. had a clear path toward occupying the lands west of the Appalachians. All the national government needed to do was determine how this land should be occupied, and prescribe a means by which new states could be added to the original thirteen.
The method for planned growth was:
It was hoped that groups of citizens would combine their resources to buy the sections and then subdivide them. What generally happened was that land speculation companies purchased vast tracts, completed the subdivisions, and sold the land at a profit. The problem was exacerbated by the fact that the speculators often bought unredeemed war bonds at a discount, then traded them for face value for the land, resulting in a deep discount.
Prior to the two Ordinances, land was claimed, occupied and developed according to the physical characteristics of the land. If a field was surrounded by hills, rocky outcroppings, rivers, an individual might end up with an irregularly shaped lot. Defining such a parcel could be a problem at best, or a nightmare at worst. Subsequent development might alter the land's characteristics, and some features would disappear. Consider a field that is described according to "metes and bounds." "Starting at the large oak tree in the northwest corner of the Smith farm, proceed 200 feet east northeast along the forest tree line to the large rock pile, thence westerly along the fenceline for a distance of 267 feet...." Problems were bound to arise, and still do.
In spite of the problems associated with speculation on lands, the ordinances made legal descriptions much easier than they had been virtually anywhere else in the occupied world. The acts provided for an orderly description of any piece of land. Although the smallest sale was a 640 acre section, or one square mile, each section was intended to be subdivided into half sections (320 acres), quarter sections(160 acres) quarter quarter sections (40 acres), quarter, quarter quarter sections (10 acres) and so on. Subdivision laws of many counties still provide for 5 acre parcels to be plotted before platting of residential building lots.
Compare this to the pictures you're about to see. Once a section had been surveyed, section corners established, it became a simple task to locate and mark any portion within known coordinates. The land ordinances also had a dramatic effect on the physical geography of the country, an impact which is still obvious today.
In practice, the distribution of land was flawed by speculation. If you wish to analyze this for extra credit, you may see me. If I'm not here, you may present a body of research to the class.
click here to go to the assignment
additional sites:
http://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/ord17857.html
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle/northwest.html and a nice game on the revolutionary era