Answer: The two most important pieces of legislation passed under the Articles of Confederation were the Land Ordinance Act of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance. These legislations provided the basis for the rest of American continental expansion through the 19th Century. Congress did not have the power to raise revenue by direct taxation of the inhabitants of the United States, so it raised money through the sale of land in the largely unmapped territory west of the original states. To procure orderly and peaceful occupation, the land came under the rectangular survey, which provided easily recognized land descriptions. The Northwest Ordinance established the precedent by which the United States would expand westward across North America by the admission of new states rather than by expanding existing ones. It also prohibited slavery in the territory.
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