The statement that reflects a law established by the Northwest Ordinance is: "only territories with a population of at least 60,000 could apply for statehood."
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 outlined a method for admitting new states to the Union and included regulations for the governance of the Northwest Territory. It stipulated that territories needed to reach a population of 60,000 free inhabitants before they could draft their own state constitution and apply for statehood.