Northwest Ordinance and How Iowa Became a State

Early in its history the U.S. Congress set up an orderly way for western lands to become states. Senators and representatives in Congress remembered how unhappy the American colonists were under Great Britain's rule. They were so unhappy that they fought the American Revolution to become free of Great Britain. 

One of the most important acts that Congress passed was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. It set up a system of government for the territory that became the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. It was a model for other U.S. territories to follow when they wanted to become states.