United States History Student Edition

D

E Seal of the Northwest Territory

To Lessen the Domestic Debt Two days after the

Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was passed, Richard Henry Lee wrote to George Washington. Lee represented the state of Virginia in Congress

The federal government created a seal to represent the Northwest Territory. On the seal, elements used to symbolize the new territory include a rising sun, a boat floating down a river, a fallen tree cut into logs, and an apple tree standing tall and ripe with fruit. The seal’s inscription, written in Latin, reads “Meliorem lapsa locavit,” which means, “he has planted one better than the one fallen.”

and helped draft the law. In his letter, Lee wrote about the passage of the ordinance and plans for the territory’s future.

PRIMARY SOURCE: OFFICIAL SEAL

PRIMARY SOURCE: LETTER “ I have the honor to enclose to you an Ordinance that we have just passed in Congress for establishing a temporary government beyond the Ohio, as a measure preparatory to the sale of the Lands. It seemed necessary, for the security of property among uninformed, and perhaps licentious people, as the greater part of those who go there are, that a strong toned government should exist, and the rights of property be clearly defined. Our next object, is to consider of a proposition made for the purchase of 5 or 6 millions of Acres, in order to lessen the domestic debt. ” — from To George Washington From Richard Henry Lee, July 15, 1787 preparatory becoming prepared for a job or task licentious lacking in morals EXAMINE THE SOURCE 1. Identifying Cause and Effect Why does Lee believe it is important to form a strong government for the Northwest Territory? 2. Explaining Why does Lee believe it is important to sell land in the new territory?

EXAMINE THE SOURCE 1. Analyzing Visuals What do the natural elements that are depicted on the seal most likely represent? 2. Drawing Conclusions How do you think Americans living in the Northeast might have responded to this seal?

PHOTOS: (l)Niday Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo, (r)British Library. TEXT: “To George Washington from Richard Henry Lee, 15 July 1787,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/04-05-02-0240. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Confederation Series, vol. 5, 1 February 1787–31 December 1787, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1997, pp. 258–260.]

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