The first Europeans in America were French and Spanish. but our cultural beginnings and primary institutions and laws were Protestant and English. So English became the way Americans of many backgrounds communicated with one another. In the 20th century. according to the late president of the American Federation of Teachers. Albert Shanker. American commonor publicschools were created primarily to help immigrant children learn arithmetic and to read and write in English with the hope that they would go home and teach their parents. Then. in 1906. all new citizens were required to know English. That has turned out to be a fortunate choice.
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