Tennessee State Senator Bo Watson (R-Hixson) on Thursday filed a resolution in the General Assembly that would encourage teachers in the Volunteer State to educate pupils about the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley, which President Donald Trump renamed through an executive order late last month.
Formerly the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali, the names were changed to the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley through Trump’s “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” executive order on January 28. Google, the major GPS mapping provider, quickly updated its services to reflect Trump’s changes.
Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 160 notes that Trump changed the mountain back to McKinley to honor President William McKinley for successfully leading the country through the U.S. Civil War before ushering in a period of “rapid growth and prosperity, including an expansion of territorial gains. ” He also credited the Gulf’s “pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy” before urging educators to adopt the terms.
“We most heartily agree with President Trump that ‘the naming of our national treasures … should honor the contribution of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past,” wrote Watson in the resolution, which later “encourages Tennessee’s teachers, especially our geography teachers, to use the names Gulf of America and Mount McKinley while instructing their students about these natural wonders.”
The resolution quickly received the support of 19 cosponsors, including Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), and Senate President Pro Tempore Ferrel Haile (R-Gallatin), signaling the resolution is likely to pass with full support from Republican leadership.
Some media organizations have been reluctant to adopt the change, particularly The Associated Press, which was banned from events on Air Force One and inside the White House over their refusal to use the names assigned by the federal government.
The global news organization announced a lawsuit over the ban on Friday, targeting Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich while claiming the administration launched a “targeted attack” against the right of the AP to “choose their words and not be retaliated against by the government.”
Watson’s resolution comes weeks after Vanderbilt University scrubbed a web page devoted to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion after Trump signed executive orders targeting federal funding for organizations promoting divisive ideology in its hiring processes or classrooms.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mount McKinley” by Nic McPhee. CC BY-SA 2.0.
SUPPORT BOTH 100%
First off let me say I voted for and support Trump 100 %. As for the name of the Mountain in Alaska; 1. I would vote for the original name of Denali only because that was its original name given by the people who lived there. 2. I personally believe the mountain should have never been defaced by anyone’s face.
“McKinley for successfully leading the country through the U.S. Civil War”
Back to History 101 for someone, brevet majors don’t even lead regiments, let alone a whole country…