Statement on HB 322, HB327

The Ohio Academy of History is a professional society bringing together teachers, scholars, public historians, and students interested in all fields of history. We seek to promote the development and dissemination of historical knowledge among the citizens and students of Ohio. The Academy promotes high standards of historical scholarship and teaching in the state’s schools, colleges, and museums and was chartered to promote the study and teaching of history. Given our commitment to knowledge and its dissemination, the Academy opposes passage of HB 322 and HB 327. Interpreting and presenting the past is a complicated endeavor. Historians examine primary sources ranging from written materials to everyday objects to photographs, to films, to oral histories—a wide range of objects and archival resources to understand the human experience over time. In the process, we strive to understand the past by placing people in the context of their own time. As teachers of history, we encourage students to carefully examine primary sources and think about what they are reading and observing.
 
One of Ohio’s founding documents, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, states: “Article the Third. Religion, morality and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” 
 
With this in mind, we strongly urge the members of the Ohio General Assembly to vote No on HB 322 and HB 327.
 
Links to HB 322 and HB 327:

If you are interested in contacting their legislators regarding these two bills, you can find your legislator’s contact information at www.legislature.ohio.gov Use the search tools under “Who Represents Me?”

The Ohio Academy of History endorses and is a signatory to the broader statement by the American Historical Association on similar efforts throughout the nation. To read the AHA’s entire statement, click here: https://www.historians.org/divisive-concepts-statement


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