About The Trust

    Tennessee's three Presidents of the United States--Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson--have left behind an important and fascinating legacy for all Tennesseans to know, remember, and preserve.  To further those objectives the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, established the Tennessee Presidents Center in 1987.  There the editors of the three presidential papers projects transcribe, research, annotate, and publish a significant portion of the documentary history of the United States during the first three quarters of the nineteenth century.

    In 1989 friends of the Center have created the Tennessee Presidents Trust to assist in building statewide awareness and support for its work--as well as to foster a greater appreciation of the Tennessee Presidents' legacy to American democracy.  The Trust is comprised of an twenty-one member Board of Governors, some one hundred Area Electors, and over eight hundred distiguished community leaders from across the state.  Members support the work of the Tennessee Presidents Trust in three areas:
 
 
Research Publications:
 
    To date, the three editorial projects have published 29 volumes of documents.  Each of the projects has received prestigious research grants from both the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.  
 
 
Educational Programs:

    In addition to the video, "Voices for Union," the Trust has developed a special curriculum package, entitled the Tennessee Presidents Portfolio, for use in middle schools throughout the state.  The Trust also distributes periodic newsletters detailing the Center's editorial work and publishes occasional pamphlets highlighting the Presidents public careers.
 
Commemorative Activities:

    Special Trust events heighten public awareness of the three Presidents and provide occasions for members to celebrate the heritage of the American presidency in Tennessee.  Commemorative activities on the birthdays of the Presidents and other local celebrations of Tennessee's Presidential heritage will be sponsored in the future.
 

Membership in the Trust
 

The Board of Governors asks prospective members of the Trust to accept personally the responsibility of lifting up those traditions upon which the next generation will build its commitment to public service.  The Governors recommend membership contributions to the Trust of $25 a year.

Click Here for more information on becoming a member of the Trust
 

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