The following is an excerpt from “Good Harbor: the story and the people 1850 to 1931 by Norbert Bufka. Copies of the book are available at local bookstores.
On July 13,1787 the U.S. Congress under the Articles of Confederation pass the northwest of the Ohio River and made provisions for this territory to enter and the United States as free and equal states with the original 13. This forward-looking law said in Section 14, Article 3: “Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”
The emphasis on education continued with the passage of a law by the government of the Michigan Territory April 12, 1827 which reinforced the idea that education was a public responsibility and that townships were integral to school development.
