History Chapter 9 Carissa Ficke by Carissa Ficke

1906

carissa531 — 2025-07-14 14:24:18 UTC

The Nationality Act of 1906 required all immigrants to speak English to become naturalized U.S. Citizens. This law was created in the belief that it would lead to a common language and a more unified America. This Act led to immigrants' home languages disappearing as English became the predominant language used in America. This is important in bilingual education today because we still see this in education. Children are often forced to learn English to succeed in school. Therefore, their home language is often abandoned.

1923

carissa531 — 2025-07-14 14:53:35 UTC

By 1923, 34 states had passed laws requiring English to be the only language used for instruction in elementary schools in both public and private schools. These laws limited the use of students' native languages, which led to many children abandoning their home languages. To this day, many schools still follow this by only teaching students in English. In today's day and age, many students don't speak English when they come to school in America. I believe schools need to be flexible and support students by not forcing them to learn only in English, because that’s not the best way for every child to learn. Imagine trying to learn, but your teacher only speaks Spanish and you don't. You won't learn anything that way.

1958

carissa531 — 2025-07-14 15:03:17 UTC

In 1958, the National Defense Education Act was passed. This act supported the teaching of foreign languages in elementary, middle and high school. Foreign language learning became more common in public schools after this and helped people to see the value of bilingualism in schools. This created more opportunities for students to develop language skills. Because of this act, most students today get the opportunity to learn a language in school. In my school district, all students in middle and high school are required to take a foreign language. This Act allowed people to see the value of learning a foreign language.

1964

carissa531 — 2025-07-14 15:18:37 UTC

In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed. This law prohibited discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion, etc. This law is extremely important in many aspects of life but especially benefits bilingual education. This law helps to protect the rights of minority students who don't speak English. Schools were now unable to discriminate against a student for their cultural background or home language. This law set the foundation for future laws and policies, ensuring that all students got equal learning opportunities no matter where they are from or what language they speak. If it weren't for this law we would be living in a very different America today.

1967

carissa531 — 2025-07-14 15:29:25 UTC

In 1967, the Bilingual Education Act was passed. This law supported students who did not speak English as their first language. This law was first created to help Spanish speaking students, but was later expanded to include all students who spoke any language other than English. The Bilingual Education Act made bilingual education programs part of federal education policy. Schools could now receive federal funds to create programs that helped students learn English while also supporting their native language. Because of this law, bilingual and ENL programs exist today, giving all students an equal opportunity to succeed.