What did the Northwest Ordinance establish as a requirement for statehood?

The Northwest Ordinance, enacted in 1787, established several important regulations regarding the governance and admission of new states from the territory north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. A pivotal requirement for a territory to apply for statehood was the population threshold of 5,000 free male inhabitants. This stipulation was significant as it allowed smaller populations to have a pathway to statehood, promoting the orderly expansion of the United States while ensuring that new states would have a sufficient population for self-governance. The emphasis on a 5,000 resident threshold reflected the desire for local representation and participatory governance as territories transitioned into statehood. This ordinance was instrumental in setting a precedent for future territories and their inclusion as states within the union.