Amend the Constitution?

Question

Do you think amending the Constitution to declare a national language would help promote American assimilation?
No tirades, please, just responsible answers.

ZH - What are your credentials? I hold a degree in American History, with several credits of grad work. They intentionally left national language out of the Constitution, but the US is a much different place now. I am sure that our founding fathers did not forsee the millions of tax dollars being spent to print things in 90+ languages, nor did they forsee a day that people came to the US and refused to assimilate to American culture (look up Teddy Roosevelt's statements on the issue, too). My great-grandparents learned English - because they wanted to, to be Americans. And, I have in NO WAY made any reference to cheap labor - you are making unfair assumptions as to why I asked the question. I'm discussing language only.

Answer 1

More than 20 states already have English as their official language, but it doesn't seem to help.

Also, the ability to read and write English is already a pre-requisite for citizenship.

The laws we really need are already on the books. These are the laws that make it a crime to hire illegal aliens. Enforce these and you'll reduce the invasion to a trickle overnight.

Answer 2

Article V of the Constitution provides two processes by which amendments can be proposed and approved Congress proposes amendments. As is the case with the flag burning amendment, both houses of Congress approve by two-thirds votes a resolution calling for the amendment. The resolution does not require the president's signature. To become effective, the proposed amendment must then be "ratified" or approved by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. Congress typically places a time limit of seven years for ratification by the states. The states propose amendments. The legislatures of two-thirds of the states vote to call for a convention at which constitutional amendments can be proposed. Amendments proposed by the convention would again require ratification by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. All twenty-seven amendments, including the Bill of Rights have been added through the first method. The Constitution has never been amended using the second process. While over 10,000 have been proposed, only seventeen amendments to the Constitution have been adopted since final ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791.

Answer 3

Its a very good question. The biggest obstacle I see is that America does not have one ethnicity or even a ruling ethnicity anymore.

What we should really do is limit the intake of all immigration, both legal and illegal. America, as you know, used to have a quota system in place and it worked fine. We have nothing now, and immigration laws that we have are not enforced. What we NEED is a new president who will follow the will of the people and the law of the land.

The country would also disperse immigrants to various parts of the country so they would assimilate better. Now, we have big cities,and big regions of cities where you wont hear english spoken.

The question should be: how do we fix this mess?

Answer 4

Sure, why not? I thought you were talking about amending the constitution to stop automatic citizenship to kids born to illegal aliens. Then I clicked on your question. Ok, so English is declared the national language, now what? The classroom sizes in public schools will quadruple, and they will STILL BE HERE, reading and speaking in English, but also trekking across the border by the millions, and destroying the American economy.

Well, at least they will be fluent in English, while waving their Mexican flags.

Answer 5

Yes. It would also help Americans feel like their country is not being terrorized by Central America. If they come here then they should expect to have to adopt our customs, INCLUDING THE LANGUAGE. It is very disrespectful to hear someone who has lived in the US for over 5 years still unable to speak English...I have actually seen 3 generations within the same house where only ONE of them were able to speak any English.

I don't want to learn THEIR language. If I want to learn another language, then it will be up to ME, not because I was forced by people sympathizing with invaders into my country!

Answer 6

this is in the Constitution. the author of the fourteenth amendment,Rep, john A. Bingham(oh), responded to the above declaration as follows. "I find no fault with the introductory of what is written in the Constitution, that every human being born with in the jurisdiction of the United States of parents not owing allegiance to any foreign sovereignty is, in the language of our constituting itself, a natural born citizen".
what does this tell me? it tells me that our official language is English. and any person who can not give up their loyalty to their old country are not citizens and their anchor baby's are not citizens of this country.

Answer 7

no, people are largely ignorant of american history. Before the Mexicans there were the Chinese, Irish, Polish a dozen other eastern europeans. The list is very long. In the gold camps in California and Alaska there were at least 7 languages spoken all the time!! The notion that cheap labor is destroying america is just ignorance. This country was built on cheap labor.

Answer 8

That would be so wonderful. If everyone spoke the same national language by law, then everybody would understand eachother, there wouldn't be anymore need for "push 2 for Spanish" cr@p!

Answer 9

"Unless prohibited or granted by law, the Rights and Priviledges contained in the Constitution shall only apply to US Citizens or lawfully present aliens."

That will solve the problems and prevent future problems!

Answer 10

Yes. If I moved to Mexico, I would be expected to speak Spanish. Right?