Why did they decide to use English as a language of communication for everybody in the United States?

lauralaura84

The first wave of English-speaking settlers arrived in North America in the 17th century. During that time, there were also speakers in North America of Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Scots, Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Finnish, Russian (Alaska) and numerous Native American languages. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English) After the independence of the US from Great Britain, the government encouraged colonists to adopt the English language as a common medium of communication, and in some cases, imposed it upon them. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_the_United_States) President Theodore Roosevelt once said, "We have one language here, and that is the English language, and we intend to see that the [assimilation] crucible turns our people out as Americans." (http://www.proenglish.org/issues/offeng/index.html) Jan 29 09, 3:39 PM

star_gazer

Let us not forget that although most people in the US speak English a number of other languages are also spoken here the greatest of which is Spanish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_in_the_United_States Jan 29 09, 10:21 PM