Ohio State Rep. Gary Click not only aims to honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy but also has a passion for ensuring students are taught American history. He’s found a way to do both by sponsoring the Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act. The Daily Signal met with Click to discuss the bill, during which the state representative’s passion was evident. This is Part Two of that conversation.
### A Recap
Part One focused on the nature of the bill. The bill will “permit teachers in public schools and state institutions of higher education to provide instruction on the influence of Christianity on history and culture” for kindergarten through college. Teachers are already allowed to teach such Christian influence, though Click insists a bill is “necessary” to “unshackle” teachers.
The state representative also focused on examples from American history to further illustrate the bill’s need.
### A Passion for American History
Click expressed concern over how “the historic facts have been omitted” in classrooms today and took the opportunity to correct the record. He explained that the idea of “separation of church and state” is not only misunderstood but is actually about protecting the church from the state.
Contrary to popular belief, it was not Thomas Jefferson who originally came up with the concept. Instead, it was Pastor Roger Williams, who drew from Isaiah 5, likening a vineyard to a church and wild grapes to the world and government. Jefferson’s role, as Click clarified, was responding to a letter from the Danbury Baptist Association expressing concerns about religious liberty while he was president. In his reply, Jefferson wrote that the Constitution had erected a “Wall of Separation between the church and state,” a phrase Click points out borrowed from Williams.
Although Charlie Kirk’s assassination prompted this legislation, Click mentioned that he had been aware of issues in education “for a long time,” which he believes stems from the idea of deconstruction. He described deconstruction as the process when “we stop teaching the truth,” which is “partially what this bill is aimed at.”
This leads to a generation not knowing the truth, and instead, being taught “things that are not true,” causing “the future [to become] untethered from the past.” Click called this “dangerous.”
He provided concrete examples: one student believed the Pilgrims gave thanks to Native Americans rather than to God. Another teacher wrote to him claiming the Pilgrims came to America for mercantilism rather than Christianity.
### Teaching Christianity in American History
Click addressed how Christianity is discussed in classrooms. He pointed out that “nobody’s afraid to teach the negative … only to teach the positive” aspects of American history, which he linked to threats of lawsuits.
He illustrated this by discussing how, despite negative events such as the Salem witch trials—where justices “weaponized religion against the people”—there were also positive Christian contributions. For example, “it was the Christians who led the abolitionist movement.”
Regarding the Salem witch trials, Click noted that Christians raised concerns about due process during that dark period in history. Over 18 months, 20 people died, while in Europe, 500,000 were put to death over several years. It was, Click offered, “the shining light of the Church” that helped bring the trials to an end in America.
### Support from Ohio’s College Republicans
The bill, along with its sponsor, has garnered excitement from Ohio’s College Republicans.
“Rep. Click is a great servant leader of his community, and his Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act is a truly important piece of legislation,” said Chairman Gabe Guidarini of the Ohio College Republican Federation. “Charlie Kirk’s legacy will always be defined by his faith, and by empowering those Christian ideals to be taught voluntarily in public schools and colleges, we’d be upholding the ideas of Charlie as well as the interests of thousands of God-fearing students I represent across Ohio’s campuses in my role as OCRF chairman,” Guidarini shared with The Daily Signal.
### How the Bill and Charlie Kirk Play a Further Role in Ohio
The Ohio House Education Committee now awaits proponent testimony, following sponsor and opponent testimonies. Click shared that the committee chair, State Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur, is supportive of the bill.
Part One of this series heavily emphasized the need for teachers to be “unshackled” from the fear of lawsuits, as schools and teachers tend to be “risk-averse.” Click noted that this fear may persist even if the bill becomes law.
He believes it’s more a matter of “when” than “if” opponents will sue, given today’s “litigious society.” “The bill will probably be sued, to be honest,” he acknowledged, citing another bill he sponsored—the SAFE Act, which protects minors from transgender “care”—that was sued but remains in effect on appeal.
Click explained, “They want to sue against anything that’s godly or that touches on God, and so they oppose anything that’s right.” When asked about opposition, he responded plainly, “So yeah, they’ll sue. I even anticipate it.”
“But at least this way we can go to bat,” Click continued, pointing out that teachers will have support from Ohio state law if such a bill passes and is taken to court. “Teaching should not be illegal, and their problem is that [opponents] don’t want to … give that cover.”
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Rep. Gary Click’s Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act aims to preserve the truthful teaching of American history—especially its Christian influences—by protecting educators and empowering them to present a balanced and honest account to students across Ohio from kindergarten through college.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/10/28/state-rep-shares-passion-for-history-with-bill-honoring-charlie-kirk/
