Land Ordinance of 1785

[Robert Hotz]

     Another correction:  I suppose I am too much a romantic about my home
     state of Nebraska.  After reading the correction that I made Friday
     afternoon regarding the Mississippi river, I failed to realize that
     the geography we now call Nebraska could not have been part of the
     Northwest Territory included in the Land Ordinance of 1785.  However,
     Nebraska *is* striped by the section lines that I described, but that
     is probably due to the Northwest Ordinance (of 1787).

     Rob Hotz
     Lincoln, Nebraska


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Land Ordinance of 1785
Author:  Robert Hotz <Robert_Hotz at UNICAM3.LCS.STATE.NE.US> at Internet_Mail
Date:    8/15/97 5:07 PM


Correction:  I should have said in my last sentence "west *TO* the Mississippi
river."

Rob Hotz
Lincoln, Nebraska

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Land Ordinance of 1785
Author:  Robert Hotz <Robert_Hotz at UNICAM3.LCS.STATE.NE.US> at Internet_Mail
Date:    8/15/97 4:59 PM


     Ed Darrell raised the point that "Before there was a First Amendment,
     before there was a Constitution, the Continental Congress created an
     ordinance to build a system of schools to educate citizens on the
     frontier," and that "having this education system has promoted
     religious freedom, and we should not dismantle it undeliberately."

     I believe Ed is referring to the Land Ordinance of 1785 (predates the
     Northwest Ordinance of 1787) during the Confederation period.  Under
     the 1785 Act land in the "Old Northwest" was surveyed and sold by the
     authority of Congress.  The land was laid out in townships of 36
     square miles.  Fly over Nebraska today and you can still see the
     square miles clearly cut out by gravel country roads.  In each
     township, Congress laid aside one section (one square mile) for the
     purpose of providing schools.

     How much does modern public education owe to the Land Ordinance of
     1785 and how much is the result of *State* constitutions, statutes,
     and rules & regulations?  Further, the 1785 act affected only the land
     west of Pennsylvania, North of the Ohio river, and West of the
     Mississippi river.

     Rob Hotz
     Lincoln, Nebraska