Give a brief history of the English Only movement

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Suggested Response: The English Only movement grew out of the Eugenics movement. Supporters lobbied for literacy tests for immigrants before they could enter the United States. During World War I, there were laws forbidding public displays of German words and banning the teaching of German in schools. Today, English Only advocates are working toward the goal of establishing English as the official language of the United States. They believe the use of bilingual government forms, street signs, menus, and telephone messages legitimize these languages and elevates the status of languages other than English. They also believe this is a threat to the English language being spoken in the US. The English Only movement expanded after immigration reform in 1965 resulted in an increase in people of color and Hispanics immigrating to the US. English Only supporters believe immigrants do not want to learn English. The real agenda of the US English, an English Only organization, is to resist racial and cultural diversity in the United States. Currently almost half of the states have declared English as the official language and some state laws prohibit their government from printing materials in other languages.