Contrary to the title, I do not wish to write today about our Constitution's first amendment. Rather, our right to speak and enjoy our language of preference.
As a country, we do not have an official language. I think that is great, and that is how it should remain. Over the course of history, this land has seen several prominent languages. The Native Americans had their several tongues. The Spanish at one point had the majority of North and South America owned and Spanish was, and still is prominent in many places. The French for a while had a large stake in North America. England was one of the last to arrive on the scene, and were not for a series of wars with several European powers, we very well could be speaking Danish, German, Spanish, Portuguese or any other language. Never at any point has North America really been dominated by one language.
At the end of the 19th century, and the beginning of the 20th century there was a huge influx of immigration to this country. It was during this time we became known as the melting pot of the world. Large communities of one ethnicity would start, and several continue to thrive to this day. Chinatown, anyone? In fact, there was even debate in the 1880's about what to do with the Chinese Immigration problem and wide spread fear that we would all be speaking Chinese one day. One a completely different issue that I do not wish to delve into here, they even wanted to change the Constitution so the baby of a Chinese immigrant would not be granted citizenship here. Any modern parallels?
It was about this time we started to emerge as a Super power. Teddy Roosevelt ordered the entire US Navy to sail around the world as a show of power to other nations, we entered and won two world wars. We developed nuclear technology (with the help of a German immigrant). Was this timing a coincidence to the immigration influx? No. This influx of culture allowed us to see different sides of the same coin, understand concepts in new ways.
This heritage is often consummated in language. After all, it is how we communicate our thoughts to one another. Currently, English is the dominate language spoken here. Should it be the only? No. Should it continue as the dominate language? Maybe. Does my neighbor have just as much right to speak Korean as I do English? Yes, and I will defend that right. Does he have the right to receive government help in a language he understands? Yes! At the expense of my tax dollars? Yes! I have the same right, who am I to deny that to another? Why is my language right, and his wrong? Will this weaken society? No, look at San Fransisco with Chinatown...last time I checked they were not in the throws of oblivion. New York has several ethnic neighborhood, and it is the largest city in the Country.
Several years ago the National Anthem was translated in Spanish. I was shocked at the uproar! What reasonable person would want to deny another person the beautiful message of that song only because they do not understand English? The greatest message ever given to humanity, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was originally written in Hebrew, and Greek. The last time I went Church, everyone there had an English translation of that message, and there was certainly no uproar there. My Book of Mormon happens to be a translation of the original.
Last year, in this very State there was a controversy about a pastor who offered a prayer at a city function on the 4th of July in Spanish. It's an American holiday, and should be celebrated in English some would say? Why? I ask back. The great fathers of our country fought for our freedom, not our freedom to speak English. Our Heavenly Father certainly understood that prayer, and it was to Him the prayer was directed, not the members of the audience.
In closing, we are the land of the free. I should be free to speak the language I want without fear of reprisal or bigotry.
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