Congressional Digest

Excerpt

The Northwest Ordinance, created by the Congress of the Confederation in 1787, set a precedent whereby the Federal Government could expand westward and establish public domain over new lands. As this expanse grew larger — with the Louisiana Purchase, the Oregon Territory, and other additions — the Federal Government opened these areas to individuals and the railroads with the goal of encouraging settlement in the West. Conflicts began to occur when the Federal Government stopped giving away the land and set up a permit and fee system for grazing, managed by what later would become the Bureau of Land Managemen…