Nathan Tabor,
December 2, 2004
"Breathes there the man with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said: ‘This is my own, my native land’?" Most of us have heard those famous lines. But exactly why do they resonate across the years?
I believe it’s because they capture the essence of patriotism and national identity.
Today we have a large and rapidly growing population of immigrants, both legal and illegal, surging into the United States, many of them Hispanic. as a result, some well-meaning folks are advancing the idea that our schools should teach classes in Spanish to accommodate those who don’t know English.
america, the modern politically correct theory goes, should become a multilingual culture to reflect the multicultural backgrounds of the various ethnic groups who now live here. Thus our election ballots, laws, public records, court proceedings, etc., should all be conducted in at least two languages and possibly more.
This misguided idea represents the epitome of enlightened liberalism.
I believe that such a move would be a cultural disaster because it would result in the Balkanization of american society. after all, there are currently more than 300 different languages spoken by various groups within america.
It is true that we are a "nation of immigrants," and that the proverbial american "melting pot" contains individuals from a variety of different cultural backgrounds. It is also legitimate for people to remember and preserve many of their ancient traditions and their ethnic heritage.
However, the essence of immigration has always been assimilation into the larger american society. People flocked to our shores en masse because america alone promised them freedom and the opportunity for a better life than they had elsewhere. While they might speak their native languages at home, in public they did business in English so that they could flourish and prosper in this new land.
To become naturalized american citizens, these newcomers had to learn our language and our history, and then take a solemn oath to obey our laws and defend our way of life. In other words, they had to change and adapt to the new common culture they desired to join. They might retain their own personal cultural distinctive, but their new national identity made them all uniquely americans.
"There is no room in this country for hyphenated americans," pronounced President Theodore Roosevelt a century ago.
"The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities. We have but one flag. We must also learn one language and that language is English," TR shrewdly observed.
Roosevelt’s authoritative proclamation came at a high tide of american immigration, when literally hordes of immigrants from Eastern as well as Western Europe were flooding america’s shores and filling her cities and factories with the raw human resources of the Industrial Revolution. He saw the dangers as well as the blessings of this massive influx of humanity.
Today there is an effort afoot to pass legislation declaring English to be the official language of the United States. This was not done by the Founding Fathers, because back then there was no reason to pass a law mandating what was already true in fact. The overwhelming majority of settlers in colonial america came from what Winston Churchill later famously called "the English-speaking peoples." Thanks to the navies of the British Empire, the English language has encircled and dominated the globe.
Declaring English to be the official language of america today would mean that official government business at all levels must be conducted solely in English. This includes all public documents, records, legislation and regulations, as well as hearings, official ceremonies, public meetings and election ballots.
Today 27 states have some form of "Official English" law, and there is an ongoing effort in Congress to pass national legislation. Of course, the aCLU opposes this idea, despite the fact that 82 percent of adult americans favor it, according to the latest Zogby poll.
an Official English law will not only preserve our cultural heritage, historical documents, and uniquely american way of life, it will also enable immigrants to fit in and flourish here. at a bare minimum, Official English legislation would:
"I believe we are being dishonest with language minority groups if we tell them they can take full part in american life without learning the English language," said S.I. Hayakawa, the founder of U.S. English, Inc., the leader in promoting Official English.
Hayakawa’s sentiments thus agree with those of President Ronald Reagan, without question the most respected and beloved american leader of the 20th Century.
"By emphasizing the importance of a common language, we safeguard a proud legacy and help to ensure that america’s future will be as great as her past," Reagan said.
For both our great nation and her diverse people, Official English makes good sense.
Copyright © 2004 by Nathan Tabor
Nathan Tabor is a conservative political activist based in Kernersville, North Carolina. He has his Ba in Psychology and his Master’s Degree in Public Policy. He is a contributing editor at www.theconservativevoice.com. Contact him at Nathan@nathantabor.com.
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