1. Governor Cass and the Indians

    All good origin stories contain at least a kernel of myth at the center of the plot. If there’s any such myth in the University’s origins, it’s not about heroes or grandiose works. It’s an idea embedded in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 — that these Great Lakes states should provide public education to the region’s children.

  2. Wait . . .when did the University start?

    So was U-M founded in 1817 or 1821? 1837 or 1841? We answer key questions about the University’s true founding date.