Excerpt from Evolution of the Ordinance of 1787: With an Account of the Earlier Plans for the Government of the Northwest Territory The claims Of various States to vast tracts Of western land under charters and conquests, and the cession Of them to the central authority, are subjects not requiring present con sideration. But it is in point here to mention the action connected with the adjustment of these supposed rights as contemporary with the first plans for western government and as determining in no small degree the attitude of Con gress toward the region in question. NO System of organi zation applying to this newly acquired domain could be seriously entertained until that assembly was acknowledged to have the right to legislate regarding it; yet such plans began to develop while the States still looked fondly upon vast stretches Of country and thought to realize prosperity therefrom. Attempts Of States to retain something Of that which they were asked to relinquish and limitation Of the central power due to an imperfect title, were constant factors in shaping legislation touching disputed territory, as were also the condition Of the army and that Of the Treasury. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.