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Feb 1, 1492
North America
North America is rich in indigenous languages -
Spain
Spain establishes missions in what is now California -
Language
U.S. Articles of Confederation are written in English, French, and German -
Language
European Americans settle Western U.S. -
Language
U.S. government signs a treaty with Cherokee tribes. The U.S. government recognizes the language rights of the Cherokee tribes. Eventually, a twenty-one-school educational system achieves a 90 percent literacy rate in Cherokee. -
Language
Ohio adopts bilingual education. -
Language
Mexican territory is annexed to the United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Mexican residents of appropriated territory in what are now California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Nevada are promised the right to use Spanish in schools, courts of law, employment, and everyday life. -
Language
The federal government forces Native-American children to attend off-reservation schools. Schools are English-only. Native Americans are punished for using their native language. -
Langugae
First antibilingual education legislation is passed. Wisconsin and Illinois attempt to institute English-only schooling. -
Language
U.S. wins Spanish–American War and colonizes Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Public and private schools are forced to use English as the language of instruction. Submersion in English is a sustained policy in Puerto Rican schools until the 1950s.