Final answer:
The Land Ordinance of 1785 focused on land survey and sale, creating townships and sections for settlement, while the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established how territories would become states and provided rights for settlers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Differences Between the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787
The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 were both significant pieces of legislation that dealt with the organization and sale of the Northwest Territory. The Land Ordinance of 1785 was primarily focused on the systematic survey and division of land for sale. It created townships six miles square, divided into thirty-six sections of 640 acres each. One section from each township was set aside for schools, and the minimum sale price for land was set at one dollar per acre. On the other hand, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 laid out the procedures by which the lands would become states, effectively turning the land into an incorporated territory. It also prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory and created a grid system that is still evident in many parts of the United States today. Additionally, it provided a Bill of Rights that guaranteed representative government, religious freedom, and a trial by jury for the settlers.
These two ordinances successfully addressed the sale and governance of the western lands acquired after the Revolutionary War, illustrating the ability of the fledgling United States to organize its newly acquired territories.