Tennessee officially designates first state books

Erin McCullough
·2 min read
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — For the first time in state history, Tennessee has official state books.

The Tennessee General Assembly officially passed HB1828, by Rep. Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood), which designates 10 different literary works with “historic, social and cultural importance to the Volunteer State” as the first official state books.

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The books are:

  • “Farewell Address to the American People” by George Washington (1796)

  • “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville (1835, 1840)

  • The Aitken Bible (1782)

  • The Papers of Andrew Jackson

  • “Roots” by Alex Haley (1977)

  • “A Death in the Family” by James Agee (1958)

  • “All the King’s Men” by Robert Warren (1947)

  • “American Lion” by Jon Meacham (2009)

  • “The Civil War: A Narrative” by Shelby Foote (1958-1974)

  • “Coat of Many Colors” by Dolly Parton (2016)

“These books have great literary merit and represent the culture and fabric of the Volunteer State,” Bulso said in a release. “Tennesseans have played pivotal roles in American history and the works included in this list and representative of our state’s contributions to the country. I encourage all Tennesseans to study the story of this great state and I thank my colleagues for their support of this bill.”

The bill was passed on Feb. 22 in the House and on March 25 in the Senate. The bill now heads to Gov. Bill Lee‘s desk to be signed into law.

Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Newsroom

Tennessee lawmakers have previously attempted to make the Bible the official state book, but the measure received consistent pushback from both sides of the aisle. Former Republican Gov. Bill Haslam vetoed a law that designated the Bible as the state book in 2016. An effort by lawmakers to override that veto subsequently fell short of the constitutionally required threshold.

Lawmakers last attempted to make the Bible the official state book in 2020, but the measure never made it out of committee. During that time, the governor said he hadn’t sought out legislation making the Bible an official state book.

News 2 has reached out to the governor’s office for comment.

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