Although English-only policies surfaced early in American history, this country was founded on principles of pluralism. The United States has always had a multi-linguistic heritage, owing to its history of settlement by immigrants. The Founders of the United States had a generally tolerant view of language. In 1780, John Adams suggested the founding of a national language academy. Congress did not debate the merits of this proposal, believing such an academy was unnecessary. Years later, Noah Webster proposed the establishment of English as the national language. Webster sought endorsement from the Supreme Court, which also rejected this proposal in 1831.
The Constitution does not contain a provision declaring English, or any other language for that matter, to be the official language of the United States. Several early government documents were in fact written in languages such as, German, French, English, and later, Spanish as well.
Restrictive language policies gathered little public support until the mid-nineteenth century, when a surge of Chinese immigration led white laborers to lobby for legislation making certain rights contingent on English proficiency.
One government function is education, which is administered through the public school system by the department of education. The states, therefore, have a primary responsibility for the maintenance and operation of public schools. The Federal Government also has an interest in education. The National Institute of Education was created to improve education in the United States.
Each state is required by its state constitution to provide a school system where children may receive an education. State legislatures exercise power over schools in any manner consistent with the state's constitution. Many ...