Make English the Official Language of the United States

Our governing documents are developed and written in English, and have been since 1776. Of course we have plenty of languages in the country, but English is used in our road signs, required in the majority of public schools, spoken in every community, and would be most beneficial to learn of any language. While many countries require a language test to be passed in order to obtain citizenship, the USA could at least stand to make the dominant language official in lieu of a test.

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I think it is the official language already, isn’t it? But it’s not being treated that way when it ought to be. (Edit: Sorry, it was pointed out to me that there is no official language and turns out that’s correct. My mistake.)

It’s a lot more difficult than one might think to live somewhere that doesn’t speak your language. And that’s not the host country’s problem. It’s part of the cost of moving somewhere. Other nations besides America have standards for language and we’re not big meanies for doing likewise.

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Agreed, i hear for Spanish press 2 so often!

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The US currently has no official language.

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Totally agree. If you plan to immigrate here then you must learn the language before you get here. Make it a requirement that all immigrants must be able to read and write English before they are allowed to immigrate.

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In order to immigrate to this country, it is imperitive that you are able to be fluent in English. In order assimilte into a society, speaking the language is obviously a must. Children going into schools that cannot speak English take away from the education of American children, draining resources and tax dollars on specialized education that can be used elsewhere.

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John Adams wrote about this in 1787. He advocated for a national language as a part of unification. However, he and the founders never once considered a government-imposed national language. They all spoke multiple languages, and all believed that being multilingual made the world a better place. They were more concerned with individual liberty and freedom, which includes the freedom to not speak english. This would be called compelled speech, and would most likely fall under a 1st amendment violation. In Federalist number 10, James Madison argued specifically for a large Republic that could handle diverse interests and factions. In essence, the Founders believed the Language of Liberty was the national language.

gfhj

With all due respect, I have to disagree. This sounds nice, but it is simply not practical to have a nation that speaks any random language. Clearly no one should be compelled to refrain from speaking any language they desire but requiring them to understand and be able to communicate in English is so the nation can function.

A quick Google of the subject says there are over 7,000 languages in the world. It is not remotely possible to put every piece of paperwork and every sign and every announcement, etc., into 7,000 languages.

No. Sorry.

If someone decides to skip learning English they’re going to be non- functional in our society. That’s not a prejudice thing, by the way, it’s basic reality. Move to France, for example, and you’ll need to learn some French history and speak some basic French and take a test before you can get in. Legally anyways. (Or last time I heard about it, that is.)

The country has to be able to do it’s paperwork and filing and traffic signs, etc., and we can not cater to everyone, even if we want to. No country can that I know of.

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Im not saying youre wrong or a bad person. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, no matter what. What I AM saying is the only legal opinion that matters is the constitution, bill of rights, the founders intent, and all of their writings that they published during the founding era. And of course a true legal opinion by a real judge that isnt an activist. We could pass this as a law, but it would immediately get legally challeneged and would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars working its way up to the supreme court and eventually they would take it on and rule it unconstitutional. Talk about wasted tax dollars.

gfhj,
I can certainly agree that the law, which is of course founded on the constitution as you rightly say, is the only legal opinion that matters. If anyone wants to change things we need to change the law and, if need be, the constitution also, not simply break laws and go on with things like nothing happened, as seems to be the modern trend.

It must be a very difficult thing to be a lawmaker and balance the practicalities with the ideals that we hope to uphold.

Maybe this is why no one has made English the official language- They thereby side stepped this particular legal snarl, leaving it in the hands of judgement and tradition rather than codifying the issue? Maybe someone was cleverer than we give them credit for.

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I agree with a lot of what you just said. Unfortunately,I hold the opinion that most, not all but practically all, lawmakers that pass legislation don’t care AND/OR dont have time to fact check legislation against the founding documents. I and several others have proposed legislation that fixes those “and/or” situations. Have you personally explored what the founders had to say about this? i think a lot of people take my comments personally; but I am not an expert in anything and am genuinely curious whether proposals meet constitutional scrutiny. While I’m always open to be proven wrong, most of the time I’m not convinced they do or can. Nevertheless an open conversation is always good

I thought America stood for something else. We are a melting pot of many nations. Our language should not be limited. Yes, we have a primary language but why limit your mental capacity? Why pull our younger generations into a small box? Do you know how impressive and valuable it is to know multiple languages? Stop trying to make America small and ignorant.

Declaring an official language isn’t putting anyone in a box. You even said yourself, “Yes, we have a primary language.” I even believe it’s a magnificent thing to have connections to our global history through other languages, and I strongly agree in the value of knowing multiple languages. The fact of the matter is, from a legal perspective, English must be understood to truly understand America’s laws, origins, or to make any meaningful change. There’s absolutely no limiting of language by declaring an official one. I’m not going to move to Italy or China and demand they provide translations of everything in English; that’s not constructive for them and the reverse is not constructive for us.

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The “Language of Freedom” envisioned by the Founders was based on the idea of a united nation, bound together by shared values of liberty and justice. But today, the U.S. faces several challenges that make it hard to see those ideals as a unifying force for everyone.

America is more politically polarized than ever. Conservatives and progressives often have completely different views on what freedom means, making it hard for the country to speak with one voice about liberty. Instead of uniting people, political debates often drive them further apart.

The U.S. is incredibly diverse, and while that’s a strength, it also means people have different experiences of freedom. For many racial and ethnic minorities, the promise of liberty hasn’t always been fully realized, creating a gap between the ideal and the reality for different groups.

The growing gap between the rich and the poor has left many feeling like the American dream is out of reach. When a small group holds most of the wealth and power, the freedom the Founders envisioned seems inaccessible to many.

Although English is the primary language in the United States, millions of Americans speak other languages. This language diversity can hinder full participation in civic life, creating barriers that may lead to the exploitation of non-English speakers in accessing government services, education, and even basic rights.

Many Americans have lost faith in their government and institutions, viewing them as ineffective or corrupt. ***

Without trust in the systems that are supposed to protect liberty, the “Language of Freedom” doesn’t have the same power to unite the nation.


While the Founders hoped for a nation united by the principles of liberty, today’s political, cultural, economic, and linguistic divisions make it difficult to live out that vision. The country lacks the unifying force needed to make freedom a shared experience for all its people.

I have a feeling if they wanted to name an official language and didnt it may have been due to the delicate balance of treaties and international relations they were relying on at the time to make the idea of a new country happen.

Provide English teachers but no signage in languages other than English. Provide NO translation services. This is an incentive to learn English.