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It appoints a superintendent of public instruction, who heads the state department of education. The structure and powers of Michigan’s government are set by the state constitution. The current constitution was adopted in 1963. It begins with a declaration of the rights belonging to the people. Several portions of the 1963 constitution have been amended, or changed, over the years. The floor of the Capitol Building’s rotunda, beneath the dome, is made of almost a thousand pieces of thick glass.

Ranking below the supreme court is the court of appeals. Michigan is divided into four districts, each of which elects seven appeals judges. The court of appeals and supreme court generally hear appeals of cases that start in a lower court; in an appeal, one side in a case asks a higher court to review the decision that was made in the lower court and determine whether it was fair and in keeping with the law. There are also fifty-seven circuit courts throughout Michigan, and most counties have probate courts that handle wills and guardianships over individuals.

As the British took over, some Indian leaders, including an Ottawa chief called Pontiac, felt that the time had come when the Europeans’ presence and their interference with Indian cultures could no longer be tolerated. The Indians feared the loss of their hunting grounds to British settlers. There were other complaints as well. The British paid less for furs than the French had paid, and when the Indians came to the forts to trade, they found themselves less welcome than before. Moreover, the British were no longer willing to promote good relations by supplying the Indians with food, guns, and clothing.