Creating a Bilingual Citizenry

Abstract

As the PNP upped the ante with official bilingualism, statehood opponents countered with nationalist performances: testifying before Congress in Spanish despite their fluency in English. For many federal lawmakers this gesture conjured images of Québécois nationalism. Departing from the Civic Creed, English language advocates lauded the indivisible link between the English language and statehood. Official bilingualism was not enough. Therefore in 1996 the Rosselló administration launched an initiative promoting a new bilingual citizenry via the school system. Eerily reminiscent of Americanization, this aggressive push favoring English was not designed to appease voters but to influence Congress. This was the PNP’s new nested game. Despite their efforts the PNP lost the 1998 status plebiscite. Unhappy with the statehood party, most of the electorate opted to vote for ‘none of the above.’