This law dictated that all states give up their claims to western lands. The [[Northwest Territory]] was then set up from these lands. Townships were to be surveyed before settlement. This provided the northwest with efficient and orderly towns, unlike the land claims in the trans-Appalachain south, which were often haphazard and led to often violent conflicts. | This law dictated that all states give up their claims to western lands. The [[Northwest Territory]] was then set up from these lands. Townships were to be surveyed before settlement. This provided the northwest with efficient and orderly towns, unlike the land claims in the trans-Appalachain south, which were often haphazard and led to often violent conflicts. |