Harvard was established as a public institution in 1636 by the authorities of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Its value to Massachusetts is exemplified in the Commonwealth’s post-independence state constitution, ratified in 1780, which includes a section about the university’s function and boundaries.
哈佛大学是1636年由马萨诸塞湾殖民地（Massachusetts Bay Colony）当局建立的公共机构。它对马萨诸塞州的价值可以从美国独立后1780年起草的州宪法中一窥端倪。这部宪法有专门的条款规定哈佛大学的功能和边界。