Which region was described as a Northwest Territory from which five states were admitted on equal terms with the original thirteen?

Which region was described as a Northwest Territory from which five states were admitted on equal terms with the original thirteen?

• A. A region partitioned into new states that were admitted with equal status to the original thirteen.
• B. A region that formed the original thirteen colonies.
• C. A region acquired from France in 1803.
• D. A region where slavery was banned.

Answer: (A)

This describes how the Northwest Territory was organized into states that would join the Union with the same status as the original thirteen. After the American Revolution, Congress created this region north of the Ohio River and west of the Appalachian foothills. Under the Northwest Ordinance, new settlements in that area could become states on equal footing with the founding states, not as colonies or lesser territories. Five states—Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin—grew from that territory and were admitted to statehood with full rights just like the thirteen original states. The other options point to different regions or events: the original thirteen colonies themselves, the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, or the fact that slavery was banned in the Northwest Territory—while true, that last detail doesn’t define the region’s status of admitting five states on equal terms.

This describes how the Northwest Territory was organized into states that would join the Union with the same status as the original thirteen. After the American Revolution, Congress created this region north of the Ohio River and west of the Appalachian foothills. Under the Northwest Ordinance, new settlements in that area could become states on equal footing with the founding states, not as colonies or lesser territories. Five states—Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin—grew from that territory and were admitted to statehood with full rights just like the thirteen original states. The other options point to different regions or events: the original thirteen colonies themselves, the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, or the fact that slavery was banned in the Northwest Territory—while true, that last detail doesn’t define the region’s status of admitting five states on equal terms.