Legislation to expand Shiloh National Military Park and to place former President James K. Polk's home in the national park system cleared the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources committee today.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who sponsored bills in the Senate, said in a news release that preserving history is important for future generations.
"We talk a lot about the importance of science and math, but, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, most high school seniors in America score the worst in history," Alexander said in the release. "I can think of no better way to encourage the study of U.S. history than to protect and preserve sites like President Polk's home and the Shiloh National Military Park so future generations can learn about our past and help us become better Americans in the future.
"These pieces of legislation also provide an opportunity to attract more visitors to Tennessee and strengthen local economies," he said.
The bills would preserve Polk's home in Columbia, Tenn., and expand the Shiloh boundaries to include three Civil War battlefields in Tennessee and Mississippi and designate Parker's Crossroads as an affiliated area of the National Park System.
The bills now move to the full Senate. Identical legislation in the House is sponsored by Reps. Marsha Blackburn and Scott DesJarlais.