TN bill would add required American history course in colleges

Legislation being considered by Tennessee lawmakers would require all undergraduate students to take classes on American history and government.

The more than 80 public and independent higher education institutions in Tennessee collectively serve approximately 360,000 students.

Michael Poliakoff, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, testified in March about House Bill 291. He sees it as a great chance for Tennessee’s public universities to better serve the state and taxpayers.

Poliakoff said he believes that with declining public trust nationwide, universities should address civic illiteracy as a threat to democracy.

“Democracies don’t do well in the face of ignorance of how the institutions of government work,” he said. “We are turning out too many students who are civically disempowered because they do not understand our institutions of government and how they develop.”

House Bill 291 has cleared the House Education Committee. Legislators are currently accepting public comment on its companion bill, Senate Bill 1077. Course material for the American civics requirement would be created by the Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Poliakoff said the bill also requires all students to pass a final exam covering American history course content. He said he believes the core requirements of the legislation are well-designed, and there would still be room for individual instructors to build a course around them.

“It’s very clear about what core documents are that have to be part of the student’s education,” he said. “It’s not OK, especially in these times, to be ignorant of the principles of the Declaration of Independence, or of the Constitution, or of the Federalist Papers, or of Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

Students would also have to prove an understanding of at least one additional document that’s foundational to the African American freedom struggle. He adds if lawmakers pass these new requirements, Tennessee could lead the nation in strengthening civic education. Poliakoff pointed to momentum in other states: Kentucky lawmakers recently approved two new civic institutes to help shape courses across public universities, and Ohio has already reached about 55,000 students with expanded instruction in American history and government.

This piece was originally published by The Nashville News.Net on April 22, 2026.