7th Class: Northwest Ordinance/Slavery

It was important for a young country with a huge amount of land to create an orderly way for the land to be carved up. Therefore, the survey that created the Base Line and Meridian in Indiana (see IV-B-Itownship.JPG as taken from http://www.geo.msu.edu/geo333/Survey.html) were “one of the country’s greatest inventions,” accordion to Rabb Emison, course instructor.

Book recommended: The Northwest Ordinance, 1787: A Bicentennial Handbook (Indiana Historical Society, 1987), edited by Robert M. Taylor Jr.

Northwest Ordiance of 1787:

--Elimination of Primogeniture (property equally divided among heirs, not just oldest son, etc.;
--Religious and civil liberty allowed;
--Writ of habeas corpus (cannot hold a person in jail without cause/charged);
--Free public education provided for;
--Protection of Indian rights in real estate (thought this didn’t happen in reality);
--No less than five states eventually (didn’t happen);
--No slavery (took a while).

Vincennes University, founded 1801 by Harrison, called Jefferson Academy at the time.

William Henry Harrison (pro-slavery) suspended Ordinance to permit slavery; Harrison was responsibility for slavery allowed in Louisiana Purchase.

Slaves were not uncommon in Vincennes; 7th and Main were Slave Quarters (?). Col. Luke Decker was a big dealer in slaves (Deckertown), an honorable profession in those times, perhaps.