Ohio House Bill 486, the “Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act,” would codify a distorted interpretation of American religious history as part of the legal framework governing public education in Ohio.
The American Historical Association calls on our members, and all Ohioans who believe in teaching honest history, to contact state legislators and members of the Ohio Senate Education Committee, share concerns about this flawed proposal, and encourage others in your community to do the same.
Together we can defend the integrity of history education in Ohio.
How You Can Help
Now is a critical window for public input. We only have a few weeks to make a difference.
HB 486 is currently before the Ohio Senate Education Committee, which held its first hearing on the bill on March 10, 2026. The committee will hold additional hearings before deciding whether to advance the bill to the full Senate.
Committee members consider both written and in-person testimony and may amend the bill before voting.
Take action by:
- Submitting written testimony to the Senate Education Committee
- Contacting your state senator and representative to share your concerns
- Encouraging colleagues and educators in Ohio to do the same
Hearing from constituents—especially those represented by members of the Senate Education Committee—can make a meaningful difference in the outcome of this debate.
Key Points to Raise with Legislators
Policymakers are often receptive to input that emphasizes shared goals and commitments. We agree that Ohio students deserve an honest and full account of the roles religious beliefs and practices have played in US history. This is a complex, compelling, and important part of the nation’s past, and it belongs in the curriculum.
However, HB 486 does not advance that goal.
You may wish to raise some or all of the following concerns:
- HB 486 oversimplifies and distorts the history of religious life in the United States. Americans’ spiritual beliefs and practices have varied and changed over time. By invoking only the “positive impact” of a single, monolithic, and profoundly ahistorical Christian tradition, the bill ignores denominational pluralism, theological debate, change over time, and the very existence of all other faith traditions.
- HB 486 contains historical errors, mischaracterizations, and anachronisms. Although the bill claims to promote “authentic,” “factual,” and “accurate” history, its lengthy list of examples of supposed “historical accounts” that teachers should implement to illustrate “the positive impacts of religion on American history” falls far short of this standard. The proposed content is adapted from the website of an activist organization with an avowed mission to “restore America’s Biblical foundation,” in part by attacking professional historians. Analysis of a few examples included in the bill illustrate the problem:
- Benjamin Franklin could not have urged Thomas Paine to burn The Age of Reason. It was published four years after Franklin’s death.
- The phrase “black robe regiment” is an anachronism, coined in the 21st century to support Christian nationalist claims and with little grounding in historical sources.
- It is an exaggeration to claim that the “separation of church and state” originated with Roger Williams. His banishment from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for this and other religious convictions complicates the tidy, celebratory narrative promised in HB 486.
- The US Constitution’s dating formula (“in the Year of our Lord”) reflects a conventional style of the era, not a declaration that the document itself is religious in nature.
- The bill exaggerates the religious origins of the founding documents. The US Constitution does not mention God and explicitly prohibits religious tests for public office—an intentional decision by its framers.
- Good history instruction opens doors. It invites students to ask compelling questions, evaluate evidence, and form their own conclusions. HB 486, in contrast, insists that history instruction should impart only the “positive impact of religion on American history.” This approach cherry-picks examples and strips them of context in order to sustain ahistorical beliefs, not facts.
- The legislation is unnecessary. Ohio’s Learning Standards for Social Studies already require instruction about the history of religion—including but not limited to Christianity—in grades 4 through 7 and in multiple high school courses. Ohio teachers are already addressing this topic in historically grounded ways.
Take Action Now
At this stage in the process, it is most important for legislators (including committee members) to hear personal narratives about the specific consequences of this bill directly from their constituents. This includes students, parents, faculty, staff, administrators, and Ohioans invested in history education.
The AHA, its members, and other historians find ourselves on the front lines of a conflict over understandings of America’s past, confronting radical activists who are promoting ignorance in the name of unity. Please visit our Your Voice Matters page for guidance on how to advocate for history to government officials, and to stay up to date on the latest advocacy actions by the AHA.
The AHA’s advocacy work is more critical now than perhaps ever before. If you believe in the importance of honest history education, please donate to the AHA’s Advocacy Fund to support this advocacy work.