ShmoopTube
Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.
Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos
Growing Tensions Following Independence Videos 5 videos
AP U.S. History 4.5 Period 3: 1754-1800. One direct effect of the trend described in the excerpt was...what?
AP U.S. History 2.2 Period 3: 1754-1789. Abolitionists would most likely have criticized the Northwest Ordinance over which of the following p...
AP U.S. History 2.3 Period 3: 1754-1800. Settler expansion encouraged by the Northwest Ordinance had what effect on Indian-colonist relations?
AP U.S. History 2.1 Period 3: 1754-1800 425 Views
Share It!
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.
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.
Full Transcript
- 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.
Related Videos
AP U.S. History Exam 2.45. The journey shown on the map was an example of...what?
AP U.S. History Exam 2.26. This speech reinforced a shift in the focus of the war that Lincoln established by...what?
What did the Spanish messengers bring with them to North America? Hint: you probably wouldn't be thrilled to get this for your next birthday.
AP U.S. History Diagnostic 24. How did the United States choose containment over the National Security Council Report in Latin America?
AP U.S. History Exam 2.25. In writing the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln was still working to win over Northern voters who believed that...what?