English-only movement

An English-only movement refers to political movements for establishing the English language as the only official language in the United States. "Movement" here is a loose collective term, as the idea has had incarnations in different political eras.

Table of contents

1 The earliest English-only movement
2 The modern English-only movement
3 Actual situation
4 See also
5 External Links

The earliest English-only movement

In 1803, by the Louisiana Purchase, the United States acquired French-speaking populations in Louisiana. After the Mexican-American War, the United States acquired Spanish (about 75,000) and American Native-speaking populations, as well.

An 1847 law authorized French–English instruction in public schools in Louisiana. In 1849, the California constitution recognized Spanish language rights.

French language rights were abolished after the American Civil War. In 1868, the Indian Peace Commission recommended English-only schooling for the American Natives. In 1878–79, the California constitution was rewritten: 'All laws of the State of California, and all official writings, and the executive, legislative, and judicial proceedings shall be conducted, preserved, and published in no other than the English language’

In the late 1880s, Wisconsin and Illinois passed English-only instruction laws for both public and parochial schools.

In 1896, English became the sole medium of public schooling for Hawaiian children. After the Spanish-American War, English was declared ‘the official language of the school room' in Puerto Rico. In the same, English was declared the official language in Philippines, after the Philippine-American War.

The modern English-only movement

In 1980, Dade County, Florida, voters approved an "anti-bilingual ordinance".
In 1981, English was declared the state's official language in Virginia.
In 1983, Dr John Tanton founded, along with S. I. Hayakawa, U.S. English, a political lobbying organization. In 1979, Dr John Tanton had founded the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an immigration restriction group.
In 1986, Larry Pratt founded English First and Lou Zaeske, the American Ethnic Coalition.

Actual situation

Currently, the United States federal government specifies no official language, but there are official languages in 24 states:

External Links

Anatomy of the English-Only Movement, by James Crawford
Lingo Jingo: English Only and the New Nativism, by Geoffrey Nunberg
Iowa Passes "English Only" Measure (2/27/02)
U.S. English (advocates for English Only)
Dennis Baron: The Legendary English-Only Vote of 1795