344 The Winning of the West 



vesting whatever title she might have in the Federal 

 Government. In 1780 she gave proof of the growth 

 of the national idea among her citizens by aban 

 doning all her claim to western lands in favor of the 

 Union. Congress used this surrender as an argu 

 ment by which to move the other States to action. 

 It issued an earnest appeal to them to follow New 

 York's example without regard to the value of their 

 titles, so that the Federal Union might be put on a 

 firm basis. Congress did not discuss its own rights, 

 nor the rights of the States ; it simply asked that the 

 concessions be made as a matter of expediency and 

 patriotism ; and announced that the policy of the 

 Government would be to divide this new territory 

 into districts of suitable size, which should be ad 

 mitted as States as soon as they became well set 

 tled. This last proposition was important, as it out 

 lined the future policy of the Government, which 

 was to admit the new communities as States, with 

 all the rights of the old States, instead of treating 

 them as subordinates and dependent, after the man 

 ner of the European colonial systems. 



Maryland then joined the Confederation, in 1781. 

 Virginia and Connecticut had offered to cede their 

 claims but under such conditions that it was impos 

 sible to close with the offers. Congress accepted the 

 New York cession gratefully, with an eye to the 

 effect on the other States; but for some time no 

 progress was made in the negotiations with the lat 

 ter. Finally, early in 1784, the bargain with Vir 

 ginia was consummated. She ceded to Congress 



