Robert Alexander’s new book, The Northwest Ordinance: Constitutional Politics and the Theft of Indian Land (McFarland, April 2017), exposes the murky dealings leading to the 1787 Northwest Ordinance—“An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio”—a mechanism for extending U.S. jurisdiction into the interior of the continent beyond the original 13 colonies. The U.S. Library of Congress describes the Ordinance, enacted under the Articles of Confederation, as “one of the most important legislative acts of the Confederation Congress.” Alexander’s meticulous research demonstrates how a small group of well-connected land speculators—including members of the so-called “founding fathers” of the United States—developed the terms of the Ordinance to profit from a federal mechanism to divest Native Peoples of their lands. Alexander’s research points to “an intimate link between the two original sins of the [United States]: the enslavement of millions of African-American men, women and children—and the theft of millions of acres of Native land.” The book displays how northern anti-slavery and southern pro-slavery interests managed to agree that Black people, as slaves, would count in the new constitution as three-fifths of a person, and that Native lands would be seized.Read More on the Story:
Peter d'Errico: Northwest Ordinance and Slavery: White Supremacy in the Foundation of the US (Indian Country Media Network 5/24)
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