The map displayed here was produced after the American Revolutionary war, when settlement of the Old Northwest was popular. To create an orderly and diplomatic process with the native inhabitants of the region, the Continental Congress imposed the Land Ordinance of 1784. This legislation regulated the governance of the territory, and divided the region into ten states, each with specified boundaries. Thomas Jefferson proposed ten names for the states, which are included on this map and outlined in light red. The Great Seal of the United States also appears in the ornamental cartouche.