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FEDERAL WORKS AGENCY WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION For Release to Afternoon Newspapers Wednesday, July 9, 1941 rl CITIZENSHIP TRAINING FOR ALIENS TO BE .MAJOR ]iJDUCATION WORK OF WPA A greatly expanded program of Americanization instruction to facilitate the naturalization of aliens who wa.nt to become citizens was announced today by WFA Commissioner Howard O. Hunter. The new plan calls for the establishment of Americanization classes, manned by specially trained .teachers from the WPA Adult Education Program, in practically every community in which there are sizeable popule.U.ons of non-citizen s. \ The program is sponsored by the Department of Justice, of which the Immigration and Naturalization Service is a part, and will be co-sponsored 1n each state by state departments of education The plan is an expansion on a greatly magnified scale of a type of work which has been carried on by the Adult Education Program ever since the inception of WPA, Mr. Hunter pointed out. tion classes in the past have 11 graduated 11 Americaniza- an average of approximately 30,000 non-naturalized adults each year who have successfully met the citizenship req_uirei!lents of the naturalization courts. From this point on, he said, Americanization will become the largest single • phase of the Adult Education Program, employing from a third to a half of its teacher personnel. The alien registration conducted last fall and winter revealed a total of over 5,000,000 non-naturalized persons above the age of 14 living in the United States and its possessions, Jvir. Hunter said . Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 4-2256 - 2 - Two-thirds of them had taken no steps at that time to acquire citizenship. It was further revealed that the median age of the alien popula- tion is approximately 48 years as against 28 years for tbe nation as a whole, and that more than 15 percent are illiterate. "So large a block of non citizens who, in theory at least, owe allec: ·~nee to foreign countries, is a potential menac e in a time of national emergency, 11 Mr. Hunter declared. "Those who do not under- stand our language, our Constitution and our form of government are most easily made the dupes of for 2ign propagandists. "We know actually, however, that a great majority of our aliens desire to become citizens; that many of them have faHed to do so simply through procrastination or because they have not known how to go about it. And the overwhelming evidence i s that they make good citizens once they have become naturaliz ed. 11 It is the comparatively small percentage who intend to live in .America without assuming the obligation s of American citizenship who constitute the main threat in our 'alien problem.' "This new program of education will r emove the most serious obstacle in the path of those who really desire to become citizens. It will afford them an opportunity not only to learn our language and customs but also to learn about the Constituti on and our democratic form of government, which is necessary to meet the technical require- • ments of the naturalization courts. A knowledge of English, further- more, will speed their social integration and enable them bett er to earn a livelihood." Basic instruction in English is usually the most essential subject in Americanization classes, Mr. Hunter pointed out. Experience has shown that many thousands of aliens are unable to read and speak Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 4-2256 - 3 - English effectively in spite of the fact that they may have lived in this country for years. When a fair command of the la.nguage has been obtained ir1.struction is given in American history, civics and other topics designed to impart an understanding of American cu1ture and forms of government . In his final examination for citizenship the alien is required to demonstrate an understanding and attachment to the principles of the Constitution. The course of instruction planned by the WFA is intended to impart the fullest understanding of these principles, Mr. Hunter said. A special training program for teachers is now being worked out which will familiarize those to be assigned to the new program with the most recent techniques in adult education. Insofar as possible, teachers will be chosen with some foreknowledge of the languages and. national background of the predominating alien groups with whom they will deal. All books and text materials will be furnished by the sponsors • • ---000--- Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
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