Northwest Ordinance

The late Robert Alexander published two books of fiction and a narrative history of the Civil War, and edited five literary anthologies.

• Table of ContentsForeword by Staughton LyndPrefaceIntroduction1. The Year 1787 Had Started2. Meanwhile in Philadelphia3. Beginning with the Treaty of Lancaster4. Now Back to the Constitutional Convention5. A Brief History of the United Illinois and Wabash Land Company6. Under the Articles of Confederation7. Philadelphia in July8. History of the ­Anti-Slavery Clause9. New York in July 178710. Treaty at the Mouth of the Great Miami11. Back to Philadelphia12. Logan’s Raid13. Back in New YorkAppendix A. Abraham Yates’s Solitary Vote Against the Northwest OrdinanceAppendix B. Johnson v. M’IntoshAppendix C. Speech of the United Indian NationsAppendix D. Complete Text of the Northwest Ordinance and the Resolve of 1784Chapter NotesBibliographyIndex

“meticulous research”—Indian Country Today; “re-examines the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and illustrates the link between slavery and the theft of Native land”—ProtoView; “A fascinating tale of political intrigue, land speculation, and sectional haggling”—Jon Kukla, A Wilderness So Immense: The Louisiana Purchase and the Destiny of America; “an engrossing narrative showing the theft of Native Americans’ land and African Americans’ labor were inextricably linked”—Woody Holton, Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution; “Robert Alexander’s book provides an amazing amount of historical detail about the early founding of the United States, with an envisioned destiny of westward expansion. The 1787 Northwest Ordinance, the main template for that expansion, quite skillfully professed the ‘utmost good faith towards the Indians,’ with a full protection of their property, rights, and liberty. Yet, as Alexander’s work demonstrates, the vision of those who founded the United States was an unabated imperial advancement across the continent by pushing aside and dispossessing those First Nations. Alexander’s work provides deep insight into this history and its continuing impact on Original Nations in our time.”—Steven Newcomb, Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery.