The Land Ordinance of 1785 was passed by the Congress of the Confederacy on May 20, 1785. It established a standardized system of land organization by which settlers could acquire title to new lands in the undeveloped West from the government. At that time, the Government was not empowered to raise income through direct taxes, so the sale of land became an important source of income. The Act established a system of territorial demarcation that covered more than three-quarters of the current surface of the continental United States.[1][2].
It established that the territory would be systematically divided into square townships of 6x6 miles on each side, each subdivided into 36 square sections, each 1 square mile in area, divided into 640 subdivisions of 1 acre each, which, in turn, continued to be subdivided until the lots, which are the standard single-family home plot, for resale by settlers and speculators.[2].
The Act laid the foundations for the territorial and urban organization policy of the United States until the passage of the Homestead Act of 1862. The first chief surveyor of the United States was Thomas Hutchins. After his death in 1789, responsibility for territorial organization was transferred to the figure of the general supervisor.[3].
The starting point of the territorial organization of 1785 was established at the point where the States of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia (present-day West Virginia) met, on the north bank of the Ohio River, near East Liverpool "East Liverpool (Ohio"), at the state line where Ohio State Route 39 becomes Pennsylvania Route 68, where there is a commemorative marker.
History
The previous Territorial Organization Act of 1784 was a simple resolution written by Thomas Jefferson, urging Congress to regulate the organization of the territory. It established that the lands located west of the Appalachian Mountains, north of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River were to be divided into ten States.[4] However, the Act of 1784 did not define the mechanism by which the territory would be divided into the ten States, nor how the lands would be colonized and governed if they became States. The Law of 1785, therefore, developed that of 1784, establishing a mechanism for the sale and colonization of lands,[5] and, in turn, the Northwest Law of 1787 channeled the political aspects of this mechanism.
The Congress of the Confederation appointed a committee consisting of Thomas Jefferson (Virginia), Hugh Williamson (North Carolina), David Howell (Rhode Island), Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts), and Jacob Read (South Carolina) to draft this rule.
Tax Ordinance
Introduction
The Land Ordinance of 1785 was passed by the Congress of the Confederacy on May 20, 1785. It established a standardized system of land organization by which settlers could acquire title to new lands in the undeveloped West from the government. At that time, the Government was not empowered to raise income through direct taxes, so the sale of land became an important source of income. The Act established a system of territorial demarcation that covered more than three-quarters of the current surface of the continental United States.[1][2].
It established that the territory would be systematically divided into square townships of 6x6 miles on each side, each subdivided into 36 square sections, each 1 square mile in area, divided into 640 subdivisions of 1 acre each, which, in turn, continued to be subdivided until the lots, which are the standard single-family home plot, for resale by settlers and speculators.[2].
The Act laid the foundations for the territorial and urban organization policy of the United States until the passage of the Homestead Act of 1862. The first chief surveyor of the United States was Thomas Hutchins. After his death in 1789, responsibility for territorial organization was transferred to the figure of the general supervisor.[3].
The starting point of the territorial organization of 1785 was established at the point where the States of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia (present-day West Virginia) met, on the north bank of the Ohio River, near East Liverpool "East Liverpool (Ohio"), at the state line where Ohio State Route 39 becomes Pennsylvania Route 68, where there is a commemorative marker.
History
The previous Territorial Organization Act of 1784 was a simple resolution written by Thomas Jefferson, urging Congress to regulate the organization of the territory. It established that the lands located west of the Appalachian Mountains, north of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River were to be divided into ten States.[4] However, the Act of 1784 did not define the mechanism by which the territory would be divided into the ten States, nor how the lands would be colonized and governed if they became States. The Law of 1785, therefore, developed that of 1784, establishing a mechanism for the sale and colonization of lands,[5] and, in turn, the Northwest Law of 1787 channeled the political aspects of this mechanism.
On May 7, 1784, they introduced "An Act to Determine the Manner of Establishing and Organizing Lands in the Western Territories, and Other Related Matters." The Act dictated that the territory be divided into "square areas, each having sides ten geographic miles" in length, each 6,086.4 feet" and "subdivided into lots of one square mile each, or 850.4 acres,"[5] numbered beginning with the northwest corner, in order from west to east, and then from east to west, consecutively. After the process of debate and amendments to the Act, it was sent to Congress on April 26, 1785. It required surveyors to "divide said territory into municipalities of seven miles on each side, drawing vertical lines from north to south, and horizontal lines from east to west that would intersect at right angles. The territory of each municipality is made up of sections of one square mile, or 640 acres." ('municipality') and «section» ('section').[6].
On May 3, 1785, William Grayson proposed, with the support of James Monroe, to modify the Law to change the measurement from "seven miles on a side" to "six miles on a side." This modification involved reducing the size of each township ('municipality') from seven miles on a side to six miles on a side, which would result in a total area of 36 square miles per township. The proposal was approved on May 20, 1785. The sections would be numbered starting with 1 in the southeast corner and running from south to north to 36 in the northwest. And these divisions of the territory were to be carried out under the direction of the chief surveyor of the United States, Thomas Hutchins.[6] With this enumeration, the lands of the Seven Ranges, Symmes Purchase and the Ohio Company of Associates were divided.[7].
The subsequent Law of May 18, 1796[8] created the figure of the general supervisor to replace the figure of chief surveyor of the United States. In addition, it established that "the sections will be numbered, starting with the number 1 for the first northeast section, continuing in order from west to east of the municipality, and alternating numbers until completing thirty-six." All territorial planning was carried out with this system of alternating section numbering thereafter, except for the military district of Ohio, which was created with townships of five square miles, as provided by the Act of June 1, 1796,[9] as amended by the Act of March 1, 1800.[6][10].
Some authors attribute to Thomas Hutchins the idea of conceiving in 1764 a system of rectangular sections of one square mile while he was a captain in the King's Royal Rifle Corps and an engineer on Colonel Henry Bouquet's expedition to the headwaters of the Muskingum River, in what is now Coshocton County (Ohio) "Coshocton (Ohio)"), where he devised a plan to establish military colonies in order to protect themselves from Indian attacks, a plan whose territorial organization he adopted the Act of 1785 to a large extent.[11] On the contrary, others consider that the territorial organization of townships in a row was common in New England and was promoted by the legislators of that region.[12].
Financing of public education
This Law was also important to establish a mechanism to finance public Education. Section 16 of each municipality was reserved for the maintenance of public schools. Today, many schools are still located in section 16 of their respective municipalities, although many of the school sections were sold to raise funds for public education. In later States, section 36 of each municipality was also designated as a "school section".[3][13][14][3].
The Law established the public Education financing system through "school lands" ('school lands'),[15] which granted section 16 of each township ('municipality'), of one square mile in area, to the Public Education system: "Lot No. 16 of each municipality will be reserved to finance public schools within said municipality."[16][17] Section 16 was located in the center of the municipality. In the States where the system of rectangular territorial organization was applied, generally the survey townships and the civil townships are coincident, although with many exceptions.[18] In the Western States, section 36 was added as a school section. Individual States and counties ignored, altered, or amended this provision in various ways, but the general intent was to ensure that local schools had revenue and that community school buildings were located in the center of townships.
According to the Official Ohio Lands Book, "by 1920, the federal government will have granted a total of 73,155,075 acres of land to the States to finance public education."[18].
The Law also provided for the granting of lands for Higher Education, the college lands.
References
[1] ↑ Carstensen, Vernon (1987). «Patterns on the American Land». Journal of Federalism 18: 31-39.
[14] ↑ La Oregon Territory Act (14 de agosto de 1848) 9 Stat. 323 inició la práctica de reservar la sección 36 para escuelas: Sección 20 «Y que sea además promulgado, Que cuando las tierras en dicho Territorio sean inspeccionadas bajo la dirección del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos, preparatorio para llevarlas al mercado, las secciones numeradas dieciséis y treinta y seis en cada township en dicho Territorio serán, y las mismas son por la presente, reservadas con el propósito de ser aplicadas a escuelas en dicho Territorio, y en los Estados y Territorios que en adelante sean erigidos a partir de las mismas».: https://uslaw.link/citation/stat/9/323
[15] ↑ A compilation of laws, treaties, resolutions, and ordinances: of the general and state governments, which relate to lands in the state of Ohio; including the laws adopted by the governor and judges; the laws of the territorial legislature; and the laws of this state, to the years 1815-16. G. Nashee, State Printer. 1825. pp. 534. página 17.: https://archive.org/details/acompilationlaw00swangoog
[17] ↑ John Kilbourne (1907). «The Public Lands of Ohio». En Henry Howe, ed. Historical Collections of Ohio ... an Encyclopedia of the State 1 (The Ohio Centennial edición). The State of Ohio. School lands, page 132 (Volumen 1 publicado originalmente en 1847 como Historical Collections of Ohio).: https://books.google.com/books?id=z_wTAAAAYAAJ&q=historical+collections+of+ohio
The Congress of the Confederation appointed a committee consisting of Thomas Jefferson (Virginia), Hugh Williamson (North Carolina), David Howell (Rhode Island), Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts), and Jacob Read (South Carolina) to draft this rule.
On May 7, 1784, they introduced "An Act to Determine the Manner of Establishing and Organizing Lands in the Western Territories, and Other Related Matters." The Act dictated that the territory be divided into "square areas, each having sides ten geographic miles" in length, each 6,086.4 feet" and "subdivided into lots of one square mile each, or 850.4 acres,"[5] numbered beginning with the northwest corner, in order from west to east, and then from east to west, consecutively. After the process of debate and amendments to the Act, it was sent to Congress on April 26, 1785. It required surveyors to "divide said territory into municipalities of seven miles on each side, drawing vertical lines from north to south, and horizontal lines from east to west that would intersect at right angles. The territory of each municipality is made up of sections of one square mile, or 640 acres." ('municipality') and «section» ('section').[6].
On May 3, 1785, William Grayson proposed, with the support of James Monroe, to modify the Law to change the measurement from "seven miles on a side" to "six miles on a side." This modification involved reducing the size of each township ('municipality') from seven miles on a side to six miles on a side, which would result in a total area of 36 square miles per township. The proposal was approved on May 20, 1785. The sections would be numbered starting with 1 in the southeast corner and running from south to north to 36 in the northwest. And these divisions of the territory were to be carried out under the direction of the chief surveyor of the United States, Thomas Hutchins.[6] With this enumeration, the lands of the Seven Ranges, Symmes Purchase and the Ohio Company of Associates were divided.[7].
The subsequent Law of May 18, 1796[8] created the figure of the general supervisor to replace the figure of chief surveyor of the United States. In addition, it established that "the sections will be numbered, starting with the number 1 for the first northeast section, continuing in order from west to east of the municipality, and alternating numbers until completing thirty-six." All territorial planning was carried out with this system of alternating section numbering thereafter, except for the military district of Ohio, which was created with townships of five square miles, as provided by the Act of June 1, 1796,[9] as amended by the Act of March 1, 1800.[6][10].
Some authors attribute to Thomas Hutchins the idea of conceiving in 1764 a system of rectangular sections of one square mile while he was a captain in the King's Royal Rifle Corps and an engineer on Colonel Henry Bouquet's expedition to the headwaters of the Muskingum River, in what is now Coshocton County (Ohio) "Coshocton (Ohio)"), where he devised a plan to establish military colonies in order to protect themselves from Indian attacks, a plan whose territorial organization he adopted the Act of 1785 to a large extent.[11] On the contrary, others consider that the territorial organization of townships in a row was common in New England and was promoted by the legislators of that region.[12].
Financing of public education
This Law was also important to establish a mechanism to finance public Education. Section 16 of each municipality was reserved for the maintenance of public schools. Today, many schools are still located in section 16 of their respective municipalities, although many of the school sections were sold to raise funds for public education. In later States, section 36 of each municipality was also designated as a "school section".[3][13][14][3].
The Law established the public Education financing system through "school lands" ('school lands'),[15] which granted section 16 of each township ('municipality'), of one square mile in area, to the Public Education system: "Lot No. 16 of each municipality will be reserved to finance public schools within said municipality."[16][17] Section 16 was located in the center of the municipality. In the States where the system of rectangular territorial organization was applied, generally the survey townships and the civil townships are coincident, although with many exceptions.[18] In the Western States, section 36 was added as a school section. Individual States and counties ignored, altered, or amended this provision in various ways, but the general intent was to ensure that local schools had revenue and that community school buildings were located in the center of townships.
According to the Official Ohio Lands Book, "by 1920, the federal government will have granted a total of 73,155,075 acres of land to the States to finance public education."[18].
The Law also provided for the granting of lands for Higher Education, the college lands.
References
[1] ↑ Carstensen, Vernon (1987). «Patterns on the American Land». Journal of Federalism 18: 31-39.
[14] ↑ La Oregon Territory Act (14 de agosto de 1848) 9 Stat. 323 inició la práctica de reservar la sección 36 para escuelas: Sección 20 «Y que sea además promulgado, Que cuando las tierras en dicho Territorio sean inspeccionadas bajo la dirección del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos, preparatorio para llevarlas al mercado, las secciones numeradas dieciséis y treinta y seis en cada township en dicho Territorio serán, y las mismas son por la presente, reservadas con el propósito de ser aplicadas a escuelas en dicho Territorio, y en los Estados y Territorios que en adelante sean erigidos a partir de las mismas».: https://uslaw.link/citation/stat/9/323
[15] ↑ A compilation of laws, treaties, resolutions, and ordinances: of the general and state governments, which relate to lands in the state of Ohio; including the laws adopted by the governor and judges; the laws of the territorial legislature; and the laws of this state, to the years 1815-16. G. Nashee, State Printer. 1825. pp. 534. página 17.: https://archive.org/details/acompilationlaw00swangoog
[17] ↑ John Kilbourne (1907). «The Public Lands of Ohio». En Henry Howe, ed. Historical Collections of Ohio ... an Encyclopedia of the State 1 (The Ohio Centennial edición). The State of Ohio. School lands, page 132 (Volumen 1 publicado originalmente en 1847 como Historical Collections of Ohio).: https://books.google.com/books?id=z_wTAAAAYAAJ&q=historical+collections+of+ohio