Languages of the United States

The United States won control over Puerto Rico in 1898 after the Spanish-American War was over, Spain had surrendered the remainder of its overseas colonial empire to the United States. Even though Puerto Ricans were not considered citizens of the United States till 1917 with the Jones Act some say that “Puerto Ricans have been ‘born in the U.S.A’ since 1898.” (Nieto, 515) Once the United States had control over Puerto Rico, they had to decide the relationship with them and in 1952 they…

Babel (GHM 4.4) but also appears in The United States Government. In The Tower of Babel (GHM 4.4) people after the flood had one language and settled in Shinar. They further decided to build a city with a tower that went up into the heavens. Yahweh (the Hebrew name of god) saw the city and tower and expressed concern for the powerful unity of the people under one language. So Yahweh scattered the people of city all over the earth and confused their language at the same time. The Tower of Babel…

The United States of America is a country that appears to be full of many types of peoples. It has metaphorically, been described as a melting pot because it is composed of many different elements of people and culture melting together, creating a common people and culture. A people has been described as men, women, children, black, white, and red. While people were described as a collective group of gender or race, anthropologist, professor, and Cherokee Indian Robert K. Thomas thought in order…

Roosevelt exclaims, “We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people” (1). Roosevelt’s words reveal his thoughts in the article “Broken Borders: Teddy Roosevelt’s Words to Live By”. The English language acts as the foundation of the United States since the founding fathers establish a government in America. The documents that help…

Contrary to the popular belief, English is not the national language of United States of America. In fact, the United States does not have an official language. English is merely the most widely-spoken language within the nation. Although much diversity exists inside the country, lack of unity in the country is apparent. Also, many immigrants faces hardship because of lack of their ability to speak fluent English. To unify the nation and to encourage immigrants to learn English for their benefit…

Smith once said, “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” The United States should take steps towards becoming a bilingual country. Making English the official language in this country would be unconstitutional. Being able to speak more than one language has several different advantages: cognitive and financial. Spanish speakers form the biggest group of people that speak a language other than English in the United States. Bilingualism is…

In early 1846, tensions between Mexico and the United States were high due to the United States annexation of Texas. These tensions reached a critical stage after "a skirmish broke out between Mexican and U.S. troops, both nations declared war" (King 65). The war between Mexico and the United States raged on for two years until it finally "ended in 1848 when the Mexican army surrendered at Chapultepec Castle and the U.S. army occupied Mexico City" (King 66). Due to its loss of the war, Mexico…

English The “Official” Language of The United States In the essay, In Plain English: Let’s Make It Official by Charles Krauthammer. Charles talks about how the United States came the conclusion of making English an official language. He also says that it was not an easy process to make it official. The United States being a very diverse place with multiple different cultures and languages it makes it very difficult to choose the most used language. But, in the end the United States made the…

is not the nation’s official language. A constitutional amendment making English the official language of America would defend American values since the values are to be united and seen as an equal group rather than a group of oppressed people. America is seen as a multiethnic and a multiracial nation, and it needs an effective way to communicate as a group, which is why English should be the official language of the country. (Source D) English is the common language in America even though it…

The Spanish language has been an influential and constant part of American history in not only recent years, but dating back prior even to the colonization of the European settlers and pilgrims. Spanish has continued to be a prevalent force in America that is changing/impacting the culture in many ways, such as through its business transactions, education, and media. Therefore, the benefit of knowing the history/origin of Spanish, and how it’s important to the U.S, will convey the significance…