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English Plus
At the time of Independence, America was populated by speakers
of many languages, including English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch, and Russian,
as well as hundreds of American Indian languages. When the founding fathers
decided not to declare an official language, their reasons included "a belief
in tolerance for linguistic diversity within the population, the economic and
social value of foreign language knowledge and citizenry, and a desire not
to restrict the linguistic and cultural freedom of those living in the new
country" (Judd, 1987, p. 15). Though the issue of an official language has
surfaced periodically throughout the United States' history, the issue was
not raised in Congress until 1981, when Senator S.I. Hayakawa of California
introduced a constitutional amendment to make English the official language
of the United States. At first, the idea seemed to be primarily a symbolic
gesture, giving English, the de facto language of the country, official status.
Actually, the proposed amendment went further, calling for prohibition of state
laws, ordinances, orders, programs, and policies that require the use of other
languages. Neither the Federal government nor any state government could require
any program, policy, or document that would use a language other than English.
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