Coming to terms with diversity: English-only laws
Key cases: English-only laws State v. Bartels – Iowa, 1921 (181 N.W. 508), reversed, 262 U.S. 404 (1923); Pohl v. State – Ohio, 1921 (132 N.E. 20), reversed, 262 U.S. 404 (1923)
Flag desecration laws
| "Our Beloved German-American," Puck magazine, 1900 (courtesy Library of Congress) “[Iowa’s English-only law] was to encourage the more complete assimilation of all foreigners into our American life, to expedite the full Americanization of all our citizens that the Legislature deemed this statute for the best interests of the state.” -Justice Frederick Faville, in Bartels “It goes without saying that the free exercise of
religion is impossible without the free use therein of such language as the
worshiper may choose. … Ability to speak and to read a language is essential to
intelligent worship. Concededly the
parents had a right to worship in their own language. Necessarily the children had a constitutional
right to worship in the same language.” -Chief Justice William
D. Evans (dissenting), in Bartels |
- OTHER ASPECTS OF MIDWEST LEGAL HISTORY DURING THIS PERIOD
- OTHER PERIODS OF MIDWEST LEGAL HISTORY
- THE LEGAL HISTORY OF OTHER REGIONS