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Northwest Ordinance, 1787

Northwest Ordinance, 1787

Continental Congress July 13, 1787 This is the law that governed a huge swath of land. Though Congress deferred to the states on most matters, these were nationally-owned lands and therefore policy was set by the national Congress. It was the most significant effort by the pre-Constitution Congress to spell out views on religion and the state. The key provision was Article 1, which provided expansive religious freedom: “No person, demeaning himself in a peaceable and orderly manner, shall ever…

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