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Description:

How did the Northwest Ordinance mark a turning point in American expansion? And no, it has nothing to do with Kimye's baby, even if she did add to American expansion. 

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:00

[ musical flourish ]

00:03

And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by the Northwest Ordinance,

00:06

the Kim and Kanye baby decree.

00:08

Yeah, that one. All right, first up - the excerpt.

00:10

[ mumbles ] We've read this before.

00:13

[ mumbling continues ]

00:16

All right. And now the question:

00:17

The Northwest Ordinance marked a turning point in American expansion because it...

00:22

what?

00:23

And here are the potential answers.

00:24

[ mumbles ]

00:27

All right. Well, why was the Northwest Ordinance so darn important?

00:31

Well, remember that in the early days

00:32

after the Revolutionary War, no one really knew

00:34

who was gonna have the most power in America,

00:37

the federal government or the states.

00:39

So talk about a high-wire balancing act.

00:41

Let's see if we can figure out which of those

00:43

sides won in the answers.

00:45

Did the Northwest Ordinance mark a turning point because it A -

00:49

incorporated new territory in existing states?

00:52

Well, that certainly would have expanded the power of the states,

00:55

which could just gobble up more and more territory

00:57

as it became available.

00:59

But if you look at the excerpt,

01:00

it required that the territory

01:02

"for the purposes of our temporary government,

01:06

be one district."

01:07

That means that they'd stand on their own,

01:09

separate from the old states.

01:11

So it ain't A.

01:13

Was it a turning point because it C -

01:15

failed to grant settlers legal rights?

01:17

Well, remember good old Johnny Appleseed?

01:19

Yeah, he was planting apple trees up and down the border,

01:21

developing land for incoming settlers.

01:23

And the Northwest Ordinance bestowed

01:25

legal rights upon the settlers moving west,

01:27

which encouraged more people to live on the frontier

01:30

and expand the country's boundaries.

01:32

So that eliminates C, as well.

01:35

Did the Northwest Ordinance change things because it D -

01:37

led to a lasting peace with American Indians?

01:40

Uh, creation of a new territory, granting land to settlers moving west?

01:44

Doesn't sound like a recipe for

01:46

peace with the American Indians.

01:48

More like fuel to a very big fire.

01:49

So it can't be D.

01:51

That must mean the Northwest Ordinance marked a turning point because it

01:54

B - allowed for the creation of new states.

01:57

Remember our states versus federal government battle?

02:00

Yeah, remember that thing?

02:01

Well, with the Northwest Ordinance, the federal government

02:04

put a system in place to create brand new states

02:07

from its recently acquired territory.

02:09

And with each state that joined the Union,

02:11

the rest would have just a little less power.

02:14

So the correct answer is B.

02:15

Think of it like the way you feel when

02:17

a younger sibling is born.

02:18

Sure it's great 'cause you have someone new

02:20

to play with and pick on,

02:22

but it also means your vote

02:23

in what we watch on TV

02:25

goes down in a value a bit.

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