how was settlement of the north west territory

Integration of the Northwest Territory into a political unit, and settlement, depended on three factors: relinquishment by the British, extinguishment of states' claims west of the Appalachians

, and usurpation or purchase of lands from the Native Americans.

Full Answer

What is the Northwest Territory?

The Northwest Territory in the United States (also known as the Old Northwest) was formed after the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), and was known formally as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio.

How did the British claim the north western territory?

European explorers and fur traders began to explore the region since the late-16th century. By the 17th century, the British laid claim to both the North-Western Territory and Rupert's Land; and granted the Hudson's Bay Company a commercial fur trade monopoly over the latter region.

How did the United States gain the Northwest Territory?

The region was ceded to the United States in the Treaty of Paris of 1783 . The Congress of the Confederation enacted the Northwest Ordinance in 1787 to provide for the administration of the territories and set rules for admission of jurisdictions as states.

What happened to the Northwest Territory of Ohio?

When Ohio was admitted as the 17th state on March 1, 1803, the land not included in the new state, including the gore, became part of Indiana Territory, and the Northwest Territory went out of existence. Ongoing disputes with the British over the region were a contributing factor to the War of 1812.

What was the first settlement in the Northwest Territory?

MariettaMarietta, the first settlement in the Northwest Territory was founded in 1788. Other early settlers were Revolutionary War soldiers who were given land grants in southeast Ohio.

How is the settlement of the Northwest Territory connected to the War of 1812?

How is the settlement of the Northwest Territory connected to the United States' declaration of war in 1812? Britain's monetary and material support for Native American tribes resisting U.S. expansion in the Northwest Territory is connected to the proclamation of war on Britain.

How was the Northwest Territory divided?

In 1787, Congress adopted the Northwest Ordinance, which provided a model for the organization of future territories. The ordinance gave Congress the power to divide the area into three to five separate territories. Congress would appoint a governor, a secretary, and three judges to govern each territory.

What was the main reason why most settlers moved to the Northwest Territory?

What is the main reason why most settlers moved to the Northwest Territory? To acquire inexpensive farm land.

Why was the Northwest Territory important?

Considered one of the most important legislative acts of the Confederation Congress, the Northwest Ordinance also protected civil liberties and outlawed slavery in the new territories. This collection contains congressional publications from 1774 to 1875, including debates, bills, laws, and journals.

How did the War of 1812 affect the westward expansion?

The War of 1812 cleared the way for westward expansion of the United States, as represented in the allegorical painting "American Progress." Columbia, a personification of the US, leads American settlers, stringing telegraph wire in her wake while American Indians and animals flee.

What was the conflict in the Northwest Territory?

The Northwest Indian War (1786–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native American nations known today as the Northwestern Confederacy.

What were the 3 basic steps for a territory to become a state?

A three-stage method for admitting a new state to the Union: a congressionally appointed governor, secretary, and three judges to rule in the first phase; an elected assembly and one non-voting delegate to Congress to be elected in the second phase when the population of the territory reached "five thousand free male ...

What 4 Things did the Northwest Ordinance do?

Under the ordinance, slavery was forever outlawed from the lands of the Northwest Territory, freedom of religion and other civil liberties were guaranteed, the resident Indians were promised decent treatment, and education was provided for.

Why did people move into the Old Northwest?

Liberal land policies made the prospect of moving westward attractive to hundreds of thousands of Americans, and rumors and newspaper accounts of even richer lands continued to pull them further westward.

What effect did settlers have on the indigenous nations of the Northwest Territory?

What effect did settlers have on the American Indian tribes of the Northwest territory? Settlers encroached on Am Indian lands and war broke out between them. What role did trappers and traders play in opening up the West? They blazed trails used by later settlers, built trading relationships with Am.

Who settled the Pacific Northwest?

During the early 1740s, Imperial Russia sent the Dane Vitus Bering to the region. By the late 18th century and into the mid-19th century, Russian settlers had established several posts and communities on the northeast Pacific coast, eventually reaching as far south as Fort Ross, California.

Why did westward expansion increase after War of 1812?

The Louisiana Purchase and the success of Lewis and Clark's expedition only encouraged Americans' desire for western land. This enthusiasm combined with a variety of other factors to create a national mood that fueled expansion. Among the most pressing of the expansionist forces was population growth.

Why did more settlers move west after the War of 1812?

Gold rush and mining opportunities (silver in Nevada) The opportunity to work in the cattle industry; to be a “cowboy” Faster travel to the West by railroad; availability of supplies due to the railroad. The opportunity to own land cheaply under the Homestead Act.

What led to the War of 1812?

The United States had many reasons for going to war in 1812: Britain's interference with its trade and impressment of its seamen; Americans' desire to expand settlement into Indian, British, and Spanish territories; aspirations to conquer Canada and end British influence in North America; and upholding the nation's ...

What was the effect of the War of 1812?

The War of 1812 changed the course of American history. Because America had managed to fight the world's greatest military power to a virtual standstill, it gained international respect. Furthermore, it instilled a greater sense of nationalism among its citizens.

What is the Northwest Territory?

Northwest Territory, U.S. territory created by Congress in 1787 encompassing the region lying west of Pennsylvania, north of the Ohio River, east of the Mississippi River, and south of the Great Lakes. Virginia, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts had claims to this area, which they ceded to the central government between 1780 and 1800.

Which states were organized by the Northwest Ordinances of 1785 and 1787?

Ultimately, five states— Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin —were organized from ...

When was the Northwest Ordinance passed?

Settlement of America's western lands began with the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. See all videos for this article.

What were the first nations to settle in the Northwest Territories?

Long before the Europeans arrived, Inuit and First Nations peoples inhabited the land area which became the Northwest Territories. Native Inuit included the Mackenzie, Copper, Caribou and Central nations. There were also many nations when the Europeans first arrived, among them the Yellowknives, Chipewyan, Sekani, Beaver, Nahanni, Dogrib and Slavey.

How long have the Northwest Territories been around?

The history of the Northwest Territories covers the period from thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands that encompass present-day Northwest Territories were inhabited for millennia by several First Nations. European explorers and fur traders began to explore the region since the late-16th century.

What tribes were involved in the fur trade?

As the Europeans increased their presence, they involved the First Nations as guides and suppliers of furs. The Chipewyan acted as middlemen. They brought to York Factory the furs of the western tribes. The Cree, Chipewyan, Beaver and Yellowknives obtained firearms. With this new advantage, they dominated their Athapaskan neighbours, i.e. the Slavey, Sekani, and Dogrib peoples.

What was the Treaty of 1899?

In June 1899, negotiation began on Treaty No. 8 , which covered 840,000 square kilometers in the Northwest Territory. It was an agreement between the Canadian Government and the Dene groups in the area in question; in return for their willingness to share their land with non-Natives, the Dene would receive medical and educational assistance, as well as treaty payments. The Canadian Government and the various Dene groups, including Yellowknives and Tłįchǫ under chief Drygeese with headmen Benaiyah and Sek'eglinan, signed the treaty in 1900 at Fort Resolution (called by the Tłįchǫ Įndàà) . After the signing, the group that signed the treaty was called the "Yellowknife B Band" (Helm, 7: 1994). At that point in history, Treaty No. 8 was the largest land settlement the Canadian Government had ever made (PWNHC, Historical).

What happened after the Deed of Surrender?

After the Deed of Surrender was enacted, the United Kingdom transferred ownership of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory from the Hudson's Bay Company to the government of Canada. However, integration of the territories into Canadian Confederation was delayed by the Red River Rebellion around the Red River Colony. Eventually the territories were admitted into Canadian Confederation on 15 July 1870 as the North-West Territories; barring the area around the Red River Colony, which was admitted into Canadian Confederation as the province of Manitoba.

When was the first territorial election?

The first territorial election took place in 1881 . French was abolished as an official language in 1892. During the late-19th century, the boundaries of the territories were redefined a number of times. In 1886, the District of Keewatin 's south-western border was adjusted.

When did the Yukon stop being part of the North West Territories?

In 1898, following the Klondike Gold Rush, the Yukon stopped being part of the North-West Territories.

What is the Northwest Territories?

Northwest Territories, region of northern and northwestern Canada encompassing a vast area of forests and tundra. Throughout most of the 20th century, the territories constituted more than one-third of the area of Canada and reached almost from the eastern to the western extremities of the country, across the roof of the North American continent.

What provinces border the Northwest Territories?

Northwest Territories Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The Northwest Territories are bordered by Nunavut to the east, the provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia to the south, and Yukon to the west. In the north the territories extend far above the Arctic Circle to incorporate numerous islands, the largest ...

What is the highest mountain in the Northwest Territories?

The Mackenzie Mountains in the west and southwest contain the highest and most-rugged relief in the territories; elevations reach 9,098 feet (2,773 metres) at an unnamed peak in the southwest near Mount Sir James MacBrien, itself 9,062 feet (2,762 metres) high. Northwest Territories Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Mackenzie River.

What is the North and East of the Timberline?

North and east of the timberline stretch the relatively barren grounds of the Arctic: reaches of flat, often poorly drained lowlands underlain by rock more than 1 billion years old in the east and more-varied terrain toward the west.

How long ago did the Arctic islands form?

The Arctic islands to the north comprise the remnants of mountains formed some 300 to 400 million years ago. Tree growth becomes sparse and stunted and eventually disappears, to be replaced by the light but tough vegetation of the Arctic tundra.

Where is the timberline in Manitoba?

Two main types of landscape blend into one another along the timberline, which runs southeastward from near the Mackenzie River delta on the Arctic Ocean to northwestern Manitoba and is just west of—and roughly parallel to—the border with Nunavut.

Where is the Mackenzie River?

Mackenzie River. A tugboat makes its way on the Mackenzie River in the delta region near Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada. © Mike Beedell/Comstock.

What were the people who settled in the Pacific Northwest?

Although the region was open to settlers from both nations, initially the only people who showed much interest in the Pacific Northwest were fur traders associated with the Northwest Fur Company and the Hudson Bay Company. In 1825, the Hudson Bay Company founded Fort Vancouver which would become the center of settlement in the region for a number of years. During this same time, Catholic missionaries began to arrive in an attempt to convert the local Native Americans to Catholicism. Very few Americans arrived in the region until the 1830s and 1840s. This led the United States to agree to continue the joint British-American occupation of the territory indefinitely.

Which two countries agreed to split the territory at the 49th parallel?

Eventually cooler heads prevailed and both nations agreed to split the territory at the 49th parallel. Both countries signed the The Oregon Treaty, which gave British Columbia to Great Britain and Oregon, Washington and Idaho to the United States.

Why did the Oregon Provisional Government form?

These settlers created the Oregon Provisional Government to help manage the territory, although both Britain and the United States did not recognize it. Control of the region was eventually settled in 1846 when the United States and Britain agreed to split the territory at the 49th parallel.

What was the fur trade?

The fur trade would go on to dominate the region's economy for the next fifty years. In 1818, the United States signed The Treaty of 1818 which was meant to settle the boundary between the United States and Canada. In addition to setting the border at the 49th Parallel, the treaty also set aside the Pacific Northwest - encompassing Oregon, Idaho, ...

Why is the Pacific Northwest important to the United States?

The Pacific Northwest holds an interesting place in American history because it was claimed by both the United States and Great Britain. This is the story of how the territory that would become the states of Oregon and Washington and Idaho was claimed by the United States and settled.

What was the Pacific Northwest?

The Pacific Northwest first came to the attention of the United States after the Louisiana Purchase, when President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the purchase of the remaining French territories in North America from Napoleon. The region and its potential had always fascinated Jefferson. He commissioned the Lewis and Clark Expedition to map the newly acquired land and also to stake claim to the Pacific Northwest for the United States. The expedition arrived in the Pacific Northwest in 1805 and spent that winter there, mapping the region, before returning back to St. Louis. Although the Lewis and Clark expedition was a great success from the point of view of the United States, it created problems with other nations, including Great Britain, Russia, and Spain, who all claimed this same territory for themselves. Of these, Britain had the strongest claim to the land, because their Northwest Fur Company reached the territory in about 1810. They established the Spokane House as its regional headquarters for the fur trade. The fur trade would go on to dominate the region's economy for the next fifty years.

What was the name of the city that was the center of the settlement of the Native Americans?

In 1825, the Hudson Bay Company founded Fort Vancouver which would become the center of settlement in the region for a number of years. During this same time, Catholic missionaries began to arrive in an attempt to convert the local Native Americans to Catholicism.

What was the cause of the War of 1812?

Some western Americans, meanwhile, sought to extend the Northwest to Canada. The quarrel over the Northwest was a major cause of the War of 1812. The Treaty of Ghent (see Ghent, Treaty of ), which ended the war, solved the problem of the Northwest. Despite opposition from British merchants in the region, Great Britain irrevocably gave the Northwest to the United States.

What was the purpose of the Ordinance of 1787?

The Ordinance of 1787 set up the machinery for the organization of territories and the admission of states. Its terms prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory, encouraged free public education, and guaranteed religious freedom and trial by jury. The Ohio Company of Associates, the most active force in early colonization, was followed by later companies that brought settlers into the territory.

Overview

Canadian Confederation and the late 19th century

Early history

20th century

See also

Bibliography

Further reading

External links