Bilingual Education

 Franklin College

Franklin College was established in 1787 by, of course, Benjamin Franklin in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The concept of teaching bilingual education and offering classes was given birth at this school.  It was considered a German college with English also available for instruction.  Unfortunately, due to operation costs the school barely managed to stay running just after the first two years. Student tuition was not enough to cover operating costs while enrollment drastically plummeted over time. The school was eventually converted into a meeting place for the Board of Trustees.  In 1807 Franklin Academy was founded. For the next thirty years instructors tutored students in and out of the classroom.  Ben Franklin’s accomplishments and donations for the school made a lasting effect on bilingual education.

Ohio 1840

Ohio has also made a lasting impression in bilingual education.  Ohio established a law allowing German and English instruction in school if requested by the parents of the student. This law gave Ohio status as the first state to promote bilingual education in schools.  During this era, there was an influx of German immigrants attending public schools. Many Americans felt that German immigrants should be anglicized by the English language.  The law of 1840 required schools to have instructors certified in teaching English and German.  Also, during the same year Cincinnati allowed for schools and students to have the option of taking a German class as a second language.  The law granted students the opportunity to take foreign language courses and subsequently set a new standard in American education.

1847 Louisiana

When Louisiana joined the Union in 1812 there was no official language declared for the Union.  Actually Louisiana was the only state to enter the Union in 1812 with most of its people speaking non-English languages.  French was the dominant language of the region. Once Washington found Louisiana State was composed of native speakers of French, Congress decided to make sure to keep the constitution, official documents, and laws written in English. Congress later decided to drop the requirement.  Louisiana continued production and distribution of English and French texts.  It was necessary for speakers of all languages to understand and respect the laws.  In 1847 Louisiana passed a law to have bilingual necessities in public schools so that French speakers could comprehend what they were being instructed in and have their rights understood fairly. 

New Mexico 1850

During the 1800s Spanish soldiers founded settlements in lands later to be known as Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and California.  The United States went to war Mexico over the land from 1846-1848.  By the end of the war Mexico nearly lost half of its territory.  The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave U.S citizenship to Mexicans that remained in the territory won over by the US.  The treaty gave civil, political, and religious rights to those that still inhabited the area. The bill of 1850 gave New Mexico land in the United States.  During the same years New Mexico successfully moved for a law allowing schools to incorporate Spanish and English teaching.

Nationality Act of 1906

This act required immigrants to speak and comprehend English in order to become a naturalized citizen.  Most immigrants had emigrated from Europe during this time.  This law caused controversy in schools and other institutions because it created competition and division over language, culture and ideologies.  This act establishes the Bureau of immigration to supervise the policy. It provided a uniformed rule over the naturalization of foreigners throughout the U.S. To become a citizen one need to have a declaration of intention, a petition for naturalization, and a certificate for naturalization. The rules and procedures on behalf of the U.S were invasive and discriminatory.

WWI-Attitudes towards Germans

When the United States declared war, nationalistic attitudes caused for German teachings to be removed from educational institutions. It was considered unpatriotic to keep this language in schools while at war.  In fact, no languages other than English had been taught during this time.  The disappearance of bilingual education came without warning.  Germans were treated without respect. Even Americans were seen as disloyal for consuming Sauerkraut or engaging in German-related activities. Many Germans also lost their jobs for being of German descent.