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Did the Americanization Movement Succeed? An Evaluation of the Effect of English-Only and Compulsory Schools Laws on Immigrants' Education

Author

Listed:
  • Adriana Lleras-Muney
  • Allison Shertzer

Abstract

In the early twentieth century, education legislation was often passed based on arguments that new laws were needed to force immigrants to learn English and "Americanize." We provide the first estimates of the effect of statutes requiring English as the language of instruction and compulsory schooling laws on the school enrollment, work, literacy and English fluency of immigrant children from 1910 to 1930. English schooling statutes did increase the literacy of foreign-born children, though only modestly. Compulsory schooling and continuation school laws raised immigrants' enrollment and the effects were much larger for children born abroad than for native-born children.

Suggested Citation

  • Adriana Lleras-Muney & Allison Shertzer, 2012. "Did the Americanization Movement Succeed? An Evaluation of the Effect of English-Only and Compulsory Schools Laws on Immigrants' Education," NBER Working Papers 18302, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:18302
    Note: DAE ED
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    Cited by:

    1. Kendal Lowrey & Jennifer Van Hook & James D. Bachmeier & Thomas B. Foster, 2021. "Leapfrogging the Melting Pot? European Immigrants’ Intergenerational Mobility Across the 20th Century," Working Papers 21-20, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    2. Oriana Bandiera & Myra Mohnen & Imran Rasul & Martina Viarengo, 2019. "Nation-building Through Compulsory Schooling during the Age of Mass Migration," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 129(617), pages 62-109.
    3. Shertzer, Allison, 2016. "Immigrant group size and political mobilization: Evidence from European migration to the United States," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1-12.
    4. repec:esx:essedp:763 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Campaniello, N & Gray, R & Mastrobuoni, G, 2015. "Returns to Education and Experience in Criminal Organizations: Evidence from the Italian-American Mafia," Economics Discussion Papers 13795, University of Essex, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • K30 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - General
    • N32 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-

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