There was a time when becoming an American meant more than simply living within our borders. It meant embracing a common culture, a common history, and above all, a common language. That language was English.
Today, I fear we are allowing one of the greatest strengths of our nation to slowly disappear.
Beginning in the 1970s, government offices throughout California and many other states increasingly expanded services in multiple languages and hired bilingual employees to assist growing immigrant populations. While supporters viewed these changes as making government more accessible, I believe they also reduced the expectation that newcomers learn English as quickly as previous generations did.
Former President Theodore Roosevelt warned America, more than a century ago, that a nation cannot remain united without a common identity. He believed immigrants should proudly become Americans — not by abandoning their heritage, but by embracing the language and civic traditions that united the country. He argued that America had room for one flag, one loyalty, and one common language.
His words are even more relevant today.
The United States is unlike almost every nation in history. We are not united by race, ethnicity, or ancestry. We are united by our Constitution, our freedoms, our responsibilities as citizens, and our ability to communicate with one another through a shared language.
English is not merely a convenience. It is the language of our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, our courts, our military, and our free enterprise system. It is the language that has allowed generations of immigrants from every continent to become part of one American family.
My own grandparents, and millions like them, came to this country with very little. They learned English because they understood that becoming an American required participation in a common culture. America welcomed them, but it also expected them to adapt. That expectation helped build one of the most successful and unified nations the world has ever known.
Today, that expectation has weakened.
When government routinely conducts business in many different languages, it may solve an immediate problem, but it can also lessen the incentive to learn the language that opens the door to full participation in American civic life. A nation cannot remain truly united if its citizens increasingly communicate through separate linguistic communities.
This is not about opposing immigration. America has been enriched by people from every corner of the globe. Nor is it about asking anyone to forget the language spoken around the family dinner table. Our diversity is one of our strengths.
But diversity without unity eventually becomes division.
A common language creates common understanding. It allows neighbors to communicate, parents to engage with schools, workers to compete for better jobs, and citizens to participate fully in democracy. English has always been the bridge connecting Americans from every background.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower understood that freedom depends on a united people who share common ideals and reject systems that divide citizens into competing groups. History repeatedly shows that nations become stronger when they are united around shared principles and weaker when they become fragmented.
California — and America — should once again encourage English proficiency as a central part of civic life. Government should certainly provide reasonable assistance where necessary, but it should also encourage every newcomer to learn English and become fully engaged in American society. That is not exclusion; it is inclusion through a common language.
Our children and grandchildren deserve to inherit one nation, not many separate communities living side by side but speaking past one another.
If we lose our common language, we risk losing the common identity that has held this remarkable country together for nearly 250 years.
The English language is not just a way to communicate. It is one of the foundations of American unity.
It is time to protect it.