English Language Unity Act: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 01:12, 1 September 2024

Revision as of 06:28, 5 June 2025

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{{Short description|Proposed bill to establish English as the official language of the United States}}

{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}

[[File:USA states english official language.svg|thumb|alt=Map of United States Official Language Status By State|Map of US official language status by state before 2016. Blue: English declared the official language; light-blue: 2 official languages, including English; gray: no official language specified.

]]The '''English Language Unity Act''' was first introduced in 2005. It hoped to establish [[English language|English]] as the [[official language]] of the [[federal government of the United States]]. If enacted it would require that all official functions and proceedings of federal and state government be conducted in English. It would also require that applicants for [[naturalization]] be tested on their ability to read and generally understand the English language. They would be tested on the laws of the United States as well as other important documents that relate to the law, including the [[Declaration of Independence (United States)|Declaration of Independence]] and [[Constitution of the United States|Constitution]]. It would also require that all naturalization ceremonies be conducted in English. If a person became injured because of violations of this act, they would be able to file suit in court. Before this act could be considered by the [[House of Representatives of the United States|House of Representatives]] it had to be approved by the House Judiciary, and Education and the Workforce Committees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h112-997|title=Text of H.R. 997 (112th): English Language Unity Act of 2011 (Introduced version) - GovTrack.us|website=GovTrack.us}}</ref>

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Repeated attempts to make English the official language of the United States have failed time and time again, though the issue never fails to spark heated debate. While appearing to focus solely on language, these attempts trigger issues related to financial burden, [[discrimination]], [[patriotism]], and [[wikt:unity|unity]].

Those against the legislation argue the bill deals with a non-issue. They claim Congress does not need to establish legislation in order to teach others the importance of knowing English since the language is already spoken by a majority of Americans. Opponents of the legislation question why there is a sudden need for an official language, given that the [[Federal government of the United States|United States government]] has flourished without one for the past two hundred years. They argue that it is not an official language that binds Americans together as a country, but rather the freedoms and ideals that are enjoyed by its citizens.

Some opponents of the bill also argue that the legislation is unconstitutional. They assert it would limit the government's ability to correspond with all its citizens, and that by restricting federal and state employees from communicating with citizens in a language other than English, the bill violates [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] rights. Some further contend that the bill would call for changes to the [[Voting Rights Act]] by eliminating all non-English ballots, despite the fact that nothing in the bill's language modifies the Voting Rights Act.