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1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 850 By: Bullard
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to school curriculum; amending 70
7 O.S. 2021, Section 11-103.6b, which relates to social
8 studies curriculum and textbooks; requiring the
8 United States history component to include certain
9 information about the original intent of the founding
9 fathers; requiring teachers to use certain primary
10 sources certain and specific quotes; directing
10 inclusion of certain primary sources and certain
11 specific quotes; providing an effective date; and
11 declaring an emergency.
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14 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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15 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 11-103.6b,
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16 is amended to read as follows:
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17 Section 11-103.6b. A. The State Board of Education shall adopt
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18 a social studies core curriculum with courses of instruction for all
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19 students enrolled in the public schools that reflect the racial,
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20 ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity of the United States of
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21 America. The United States history and Oklahoma history components
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22 required in the social studies curriculum for all students shall
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23 include, but not be limited to, African Americans, Native Americans,
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24 and Hispanic Americans. The United States history component
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Req. No. 405 Page 1
1 required in the social studies curriculum for all students shall
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2 include information:
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3 1. Information about Juneteenth commemorating emancipation of
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4 enslaved African Americans; and
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5 2. Information regarding the original intent of the founding
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6 fathers while constructing the United States Constitution. Teachers
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7 of United States history shall include primary sources from the
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8 founding era and throughout United States history and specific
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9 quotes from the founding fathers about the United States's Christian
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10 heritage including the influence of the Ten Commandments and the
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11 Bible on the United States's founding documents if presented
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12 objectively as part of a secular program of education. Primary
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13 sources shall include, but not be limited to, John Adams, Joseph
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14 Story, George Washington, Benjamin Rush, Samuel Adams, Patrick
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15 Henry, John Jay, James Otis, and Noah Webster. Information provided
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16 pursuant to this paragraph shall also include, but not be limited
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17 to, the following specific quotes:
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18 a. "[I]t is religion and morality alone which can
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19 establish the principles upon which freedom can
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20 securely stand. [R]eligion and virtue are the only
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21 foundations...of republicanism and of all free
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22 governments. Our Constitution was made only for a
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23 moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate
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Req. No. 405 Page 2
1 to the government of any other," John Adams, signer of
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2 the Declaration of Independence,
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3 b. "[R]eligion and good morals are the only solid
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4 foundations of public liberty and happiness. While
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5 the people are virtuous, they cannot be subdued; but
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6 when once they lose their virtue, they will be ready
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7 to surrender their liberties to the first external or
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8 internal invader," Samuel Adams, signer of the
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9 Declaration of Independence,
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10 c. "Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length
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11 of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian
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12 religion (whose morality is so sublime and pure)...are
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13 undermining the solid foundation of morals� the best
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14 security for the duration of free governments,"
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15 Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of
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16 Independence,
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17 d. "[T]he cultivation of the religious sentiment
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18 represses licentiousness...inspires respect for law
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19 and order, and gives strength to the whole social
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20 fabric. Moral habits...cannot safely be trusted on
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21 any other foundation than religious principle, nor any
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22 government be secure which is not supported by moral
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23 habits.... Whatever makes men good Christians, makes
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24 them good citizens," Daniel Webster,
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1 e. "Republican government loses half of its value where
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2 the moral and social duties are...negligently
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3 practiced. To exterminate our popular vices is a work
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4 of far more importance to the character and happiness
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5 of our citizens, than any other improvements in our
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6 system of education. [T]he moral principles and
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7 precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the
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8 basis of all our civil constitutions and laws.... All
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9 the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice,
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10 crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and
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11 war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the
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12 precepts contained in the Bible," Noah Webster,
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13 f. "We have no government armed with power capable of
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14 contending with human passions unbridled by morality
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15 and religion...Our Constitution was made only for a
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16 moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate
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17 to the government of any other," John Adams, signer of
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18 the Declaration of Independence,
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19 g. "While we are zealously performing the duties of good
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20 citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be
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21 inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the
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22 distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our
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23 highest glory to add the more distinguished character
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24 of Christian," President George Washington,
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1 h. "The general Principles, on which the Fathers achieved
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2 independence, were the only Principles in which that
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3 beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite, and
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4 these Principles only could be intended by them in
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5 their address, or by me in my answer. And what were
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6 these general Principles? I answer, the general
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7 Principles of Christianity, in which all these Sects
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8 were United: And the general Principles of English and
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9 American Liberty...Now I will avow, that I then
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10 believe, and now believe, that those general
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11 Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and
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12 immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God; and
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13 that those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable
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14 as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System,"
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15 John Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence,
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16 i. "God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the
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17 liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have
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18 removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the
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19 minds of the people that these liberties are of the
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20 Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but
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21 with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when
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22 I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot
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23 sleep forever..." Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State
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24 of Virginia,
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1 j. "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often
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2 that this great nation was founded, not by
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3 religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but
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4 on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason
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5 peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum,
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6 prosperity, and freedom of worship here," Patrick
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7 Henry, The Trumpet Voice of Freedom: Patrick Henry of
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8 Virginia,
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9 k. "Providence has given to our people the choice of
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10 their ruler, and it is the duty, as well as the
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11 privilege and interest of our Christian nation to
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12 select and prefer Christians for their rulers," John
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13 Jay,
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14 l. "[T]he only means of establishing and perpetuating our
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15 republican forms of government is the universal
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16 education of our youth in the principles of
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17 Christianity by means of the Bible," Dr. Benjamin
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18 Rush,
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19 m. "The great enemy of the salvation of man, in my
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20 opinion, never invented a more effective means of
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21 limiting Christianity from the world than by
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22 persuading mankind that it was improper to read the
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23 Bible at schools," Dr. Benjamin Rush, and
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1 n. "One of the beautiful boasts of our municipal
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2 jurisprudence is that Christianity is a part of the
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3 Common Law. There never has been a period in which
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4 the Common Law did not recognize Christianity as lying
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5 at its foundations. I verily believe that
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6 Christianity is necessary to support a civil society
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7 and shall ever attend to its institutions and
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8 acknowledge its precepts as the pure and natural
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9 sources of private and social happiness," Joseph
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10 Story.
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11 B. The State Textbook Committee, when adopting textbooks, shall
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12 incorporate the provisions of subsection A of this section into the
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13 criteria used to evaluate United States history and Oklahoma history
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14 textbooks. Any United States history or Oklahoma history textbook
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15 on the state adopted textbook list shall conform to the purposes of
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16 this section. The State Textbook Committee shall ensure that all
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17 social studies textbooks and supplementary materials selected to be
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18 purchased with state funds for use in Oklahoma classrooms reflect
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19 the racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity of the United
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20 States.
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21 C. It is the intent of the Legislature that a portion of the
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22 state funds appropriated for professional development in local
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23 school districts be used for workshops, seminars, guest lecturers,
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24 and other methods which further the purposes of this section.
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Req. No. 405 Page 7
1 D. As used in this section, "curriculum" means the subject
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2 matter standards adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to
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3 Section 11-103.6 of this title. School districts shall exclusively
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4 determine instruction, specific course curricula, reading lists, and
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5 instructional materials pursuant to subsection F of Section 11-
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6 103.6a of this title.
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7 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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8 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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9 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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10 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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11 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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Req. No. 405 Page 8Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.