What was the procedure set up by the northwest ordinance that made it possible for a territory to become a state?

It’s population exceeded the population of the smallest state

Explanation:

in the late 1800s, imperialist countries often used their colonies as markets for the products they produced.

The imperialist powers were among the most industrialized countries, and used their colonies as a source of natural resources. One way to locate their products was to sell them in the colonies, which were taken away of any possibility of technological or industrial development.