OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Northwest Ordinance

Floor Speech

Date: July 15, 2022
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. PALMER. Madam Speaker, Wednesday was the 235th anniversary of the passage of the Northwest Ordinance.

The Northwest Ordinance, passed on July 13, 1787 under the Articles of Confederation, created the Northwest Territory which would eventually become the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Two portions of the Ordinance capture important principles that are worth recovering 235 years later.

Section 13 of the Ordinance notes that the fundamental principles of civil and religious liberty form the basis upon which republics are erected and that they are the basis of all laws.

Article 3 affirms that religion, morality, and knowledge are necessary for good government and the happiness of mankind.

We've strayed far from these truths in the years since the Northwest Ordinance was passed.

However, it isn't too late to recover and encourage a robust respect for civil and religious liberty while acknowledging the fundamental truth that religion, morality, and knowledge are essential for America and her people to flourish.

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