a cession was finally accepted, March 1, 1784; and with some
important modifications Jefferson's ordinance, or the Ordinance of
1784 as it was commonly called, was ultimately adopted. In this case
Jefferson rendered a service similar to that of framing the Declaration
of Independence. His plan was somewhat theoretical and visionary,
but largely practical, and it was constructive work of a high order,
displaying not so much originality as sympathetic appreciation of what
had already been done and an instinctive forecast of future development.
Jefferson seemed to be able to gather up ideas, some conscious and some
latent in men's minds, and to express them in a form that was generally
acceptable.

It is interesting to find in the Articles of Confederation (Article
XI) that, "Canada acceding to this confederation, and joining in the
measures of the United States, shall be admitted into, and entitled to
all the advantages of this Union: but no other colony shall be admitted
into the same unless such admission be agreed to by nine States." The
real importance of this article lay in the suggestion of an enlargement
of the Confederation. The Confederation was never intended to be a union
of only thirteen States. Before the cession of their western claims it
seemed to be inevitable that some of the States should be broken up into
several units. At the very time that the formation of the Confederation
was under discussion Vermont issued a declaration of independence from
New York and New Hampshire, with the expectation of being admitted into
the Union. It was impolitic to recognize the appeal at that time, but
it seems to have been generally understood that sooner or later Vermont
would come in as a full-fledged State.

It might have been a revolutionary suggestion by Maryland, when the
cession of western lands was under discussion, that Congress should have
sole power to fix the western boundaries of the States, but her further
proposal was not even regarded as radical, that Congress should "lay
out the land beyond the boundaries so ascertained into separate and
independent states." It seems to have been taken as a matter of course
in the procedure of Congress and was accepted by the States. But the
idea was one thing; its carrying out was quite another. Here was a great
extent of western territory which would be valuable only as it could
be sold to prospective settlers. One of the first things these settlers
would demand was