How did the government under the Articles of Confederation handle claims to the area on the map labeled Northwest Territory?

As a response to multiple pressures that included the expansion of American settlers, conflicts with Native Americans, and problematic relations with Great Britain and Mexico, the government issued the Northwest Ordinance on July 13th, 1787. This enactment created the Northwest Territory. This was the first territory to be created by the Federal Government of the United States. It was delimited by the Appalachian Mountains to the east, British North America (now Canada) and Great Lakes to the North, The Mississippi River to the north, and the Ohio River to the South. It was a slave-free territory.