Timeline: History of Multilingual Competency in the United States

Jun 1, 1828

The U.S. signs a treaty with Cherokee tribes

The U.S. signed a treaty in which it recognizes the Cherokees their rights to speak their native language. In 1828, the Cherokee people demanded rights to speak their native language. Cherokees established a 21 school educational system that used the Cherokee syllabrary to accomplish a ninety percent literacy rate in their native language.

Jan 1, 1839

Ohio adopts bilingual education

Schools were requested by parents to have bilingual education.

Jan 1, 1848

Mexican territory is annexed to the United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe

Jan 1, 1864

The federal government forces Native-American children to attend off-reservation schools.

Native-Americans were banned from speaking their nattive language. They were forced to go to schools away from their reservation as a punishment for speaking their language.

Jan 1, 1888

First Antibilingual educaitonal legislation has passed

Jun 4, 1898

U.S. wins Spanish-American War and colonizes Puerto Rico and the Philippines

Jun 5, 1923

Meyer vs. Nebraska

The Supreme Court bans an English-only law in a case brought by German Americans.

Jun 5, 1930

Del Rio Independent School District v. Salvatierra

Jun 5, 1931

Lemon Grove v. Álvarez

Jan 1, 1936

Massive IQ testing of Puerto Ricans in New York is used to justify widespread school placement of Spanish-speaking children two to three years below grade level

Jan 1, 1941

Japanese-language schools are closed

Period: Jun 5, 1946 to Jun 5, 1947

Méndez v. Westminster School District

Jun 5, 1960

Bilingual Education was reborn

Jun 5, 1961

Immigrants fleeing the Cuban revolution demand Spanish-language schooling

Jun 5, 1964

The Civil Rights Act: Title VI

Jan 1, 1968

10,000 Chicanos boycott schools in Los Angeles demanding bilingual education and more Latino teachers; boycotts spread across U.S.

Jun 5, 1968

ESEA Title VII offers funding for bilingual education programs. First bilingual kindergarten in New York City

Jan 1, 1973

A Group of non-speaking English Chinese students sued San Francisco Unified Schools district officials

Jun 5, 1973

Keyes v. School District No. 1, Denver, Colorado

Jun 5, 1974

The Equal Education Opportunities Act

May 25, 1975

Lau Remedies

The May 25 (1975) Memorandum from the Office for Civil Rights (also called the Lau Remedies) mandated that school districts with more than 5 percent national-origin minority children must offer special language instruction for students with a limited command of English.

Jun 5, 1977