Since they arrived in America in the 16th century, Isleños have played their part in some historic events: they participated in the American Revolutionary War (in 1782 – 83), fought in the War of 1812 (in 1814), defended the Alamo (in 1836), and after the incorporation of Louisiana and Texas into the United States, they fought in the American Civil War (1861–1865), both World Wars and the Vietnam War. Remarkably, in the 1950s, local government forced all students of the Saint Bernard Parish school system in Louisiana to speak only English, while Hispanics in the parish were not even allowed to speak Spanish in public; eventually there were no Spanish language-speakers left in the local Isleño community.