Eight articles discuss different aspects of the Northwest ordinances. W. W. Abbot emphasizes George Washington's enduring, complex, and deep involvement with the west and its land. Robert V. Remini points out the value of the Articles of Confederation by emphasizing that it was the Congress under the Articles that passed the Northwest Ordinance. The amendments of the ordinances of the 1780s and patterns of early settlement in the Northwest Territory are highlighted by Rowland Berthoff. Malcolm J. Rohrbough discusses the fact that land was a central theme in U.S. life from the early 17th century to the middle of the 19th century. Carl F. Kaestle focuses on the Northwest ordinances as the founding documents of public education in the old northwest. The significance of excluding slavery from the old northwest in 1787 is elucidated by David Brion Davis. Robert F. Berkhofer, Jr. shows that the Northwest Ordinance promoted a novel principle by allowing new territories to achieve full statehood upon admission to the union. George W. Geib reviews a traveling exhibit, "Liberty's Legacy," that toured each of the six states in the old northwest. (SM)