The Articles of Confederation and Education

The original Constitution of the United States called the Articles of Confederation created a loose confederation of 13 independent countries.  Without getting into the various strengths and weaknesses of this original government, suffice it to say that many saw a need for a new constitution. That new constitution was ratified on Sept. 17, 1787 and except for amendments still governs our nation today. Probably the greatest success of the Articles were the laws setting up the settlement and eventual statehood of new territories. These land ordinances dealt with important social issues such as Slavery, and the rights of Native Americans.  These land ordinances also created a vision and funding of public education into perpetuity. This quote from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 expresses that view: “Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”  In the Land Ordinance of 1785 Lot/Section 16 of every Township was specifically set asside for the maintenance of public education.  A Township is 6 square miles. A Section is 1/36 of a Township or one square mile.  There are 640 Acres of land in a Section. This designation of land for the sole purpose of education is a significant indicator of the value the founding fathers put on educaiton.

Article 10 of the Utah Constituion clearly defines the governance and funding of education in Utah. Section 7 of Article 10 specifically defines how the federal educational land grants, first established in the 1780s, would be administered under the Utah Constitution.  I value greatly the wisdom and vision of those who have served our state so well over the last 124 years.

Posted on 13 Jun 2020, 11:49 - Category: Political Viewpoints