Developing America

51due论文代写网精选代写范文：“Developing America”这篇论文讲述的是，美国在1785年和1787年出台了“土地条例”和“西北条例”，这两个条例稳固了各州的权利及协助建立了联邦政府，促使联邦政府对西北方土地的测量与规划。今时今日的美国发展，说得益与这两个条例的出台也不为过。

Developing America: Developing America: The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 America is dubbed “the land of opportunity,” and rightly so. From the establishment of colonies in Massachusetts and Virginia in the early 1600’s, America has been a place where people had an opportunity to be successful and strike it rich. Land was scarce throughout Europe but abundant in America. This land came either very cheaply or even free for over a century. The two ordinances enacted by the Confederation Congress, the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, did exactly this. These ordinances also helped the settlement of future territories as well as their conversion into states. They also promoted the presence of education in the United States. 

 These ordinances also assisted the power of state government as well as establishing the federal government’s supervising rather than dominant role. The ordinances enacted in 1785 and 1787 were essential to the rise of the importance of education today, the creation of states, and a cooperative state-to-federal government relationship. The Land Ordinance of 1785, signed May 20, originally had high goals, but turned out to be a quick fix to the problem of squatters settling freely in the Northwest Territories. The main provisions of this first ordinance were these; “The plats of the townships respectively, shall be marked by subdivisions into lots of one mile square, or 640 acres, in the same direction as the external lines, and numbered from l to 36; always beginning the succeeding range of the lots with the number next to that with which the preceding one concluded....” (Fitzpatrick 375) These plots of land were sold at no less than a dollar apiece. This prevented squatters from claiming land free and unchecked. Some of these plots were set aside for school (one acre) and for government purposes (four acres). This assured that the settlers would be able to access the government easily and conveniently, and that their children would be able to receive organized education in schools rather than home. Thomas Jefferson, despite being an active slave owner, was adamantly pursuing the abolition of slavery in the future northern states. However, his attempt to include this provision was turned down for the second time. 

The Land Ordinance of 1785 was relatively successful, but its many flaws led to the enactment of another ordinance only two years later. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which was signed July 13th, sought to fix the flaws and deficiencies of the previous ordinance, as well as organize and strengthen the governments of the territories, while building states with rights. The main provisions of the ordinance were: “The general assembly or legislature shall consist of the governor, legislative council, and a house of representatives. The Legislative Council shall consist of five members, to continue in office five years, unless sooner removed by Congress…And, whenever any of the said States shall have sixty thousand free inhabitants therein, such State shall be admitted, by its delegates, into the Congress of the United States, on an equal footing with the original States in all respects whatever, and shall be at liberty to form a permanent constitution and State government…” (Tansill 398) Another major provision enacted in this ordinance was the abolition of slavery in the new northern states. As Thomas Jefferson got his wish, the ordinance also satisfied the settlers’ wishes. They got the representation that they desired, and the lowered land prices as an effect of the sales to landowning companies such as the Ohio Land Company (Jones 65). This enabled the poorer settlers to move westward and expand, but controlled and governed. When the first ordinance set apart an acre for schools for every territory, the importance of education was made quite obvious. 

Today, law requires school and education, so the importance of schooling and education has shown itself throughout our nation’s history. The Land Ordinance of 1785 did not only promote education, it thrust education into the center of our nation’s development. The nation has always been built around education, as is quite obvious today. The creation and formation of states would likely not have occurred as quickly as it did had it not been for these two ordinances. Territories became states very quickly because they were set up by the Land Ordinance of 1785 and then given their start by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The Land Ordinance set up the territories very nicely by preventing unruly squatter settling and instead selling measured plots of land. The Northwest Ordinance then gave the territories government, representation, and rights as population grew. Territories divided into states, which all had their own representation and government, which continues today. But what keeps the nation united is the state and federal government relationship. It is federally controlled but otherwise a cooperative relationship which allows people of each state their own government and representation. 

The ordinances enacted by Congress, the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, were extremely important to the development of our nation. They acted as a sort of “foundation to the foundation” of our nation, much like the Articles of Confederation was. Despite being enacted before the constitution and government we have known since 1789, the provisions and principles of these ordinances are very similar to those we have today. Be the topic education or representative government, the roots can be traced to the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Bibliography: Bibliography Fitzpatrick, J. C. (editor). Journals of the Continental Congress, Vol. XXVIII Jones, Maldwyn A. The Limits of Liberty: American History 1607- 1980. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983. Malone, D. and B. Ranch. American Origins to 1789, New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1960. Morison, S.E., and H.S. Commager. The Growth of the American Republic. New York: Oxford University Press, 1938. Tansill, Charles C (Selected, Arranged and Indexed by). Documents Illustrative of the Formation of the Union of the American States. House Document No. 398. Government Printing Office, 1927. Williams, T.H., R.N. Current, and F. Freidel. A History of the United States [to 1876]. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1959. -C

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