Final answer:
The Northwest Territory sales plan earmarked one section of land per township specifically for public schools, under the Land Ordinance of 1785.
Step-by-step explanation:
The plan for selling land in the Northwest Territory included the division of the territory into townships and sections with one specific section of each township being reserved solely for the purpose of supporting public education. According to the Land Ordinance of 1785, the area was surveyed and divided into townships six miles square, which were in turn subdivided into thirty-six sections of 640 acres each. One section, referred to as the school section, was to be used to support public schools, ensuring a commitment to public information and education.
Each township was divided into these thirty-six sections with the intent of selling thirty-five of them, while the school section was not sold but set aside to better public information. This practice demonstrated the early American commitment to using land resources to fund and improve education within the newly organized territories.