Did the US Nearly speak German?

Did the US Nearly speak German?

In the United States there is a persistent myth according to which German almost became the official language of the United States, losing out to English by a single vote in Congress at some point early in this nation’s history.

What is a myth about German in the United States?

German as the official U.S. language myth An urban legend, sometimes called the Muhlenberg legend after Frederick Muhlenberg, states that English only narrowly defeated German as the U.S. official language. In reality, the proposal involved a requirement that government documents be translated into German.

When did us decide to speak English?

History. The use of English in the United States is a result of British colonization of the Americas. The first wave of English-speaking settlers arrived in North America during the early 17th century, followed by further migrations in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Did the US almost speak Dutch?

The Dutch language persisted in some form in New York and northern New Jersey for nearly 300 years following the English conquest. While it declined in New York City in the early eighteenth century, it remained the primary language in many rural places until after the American Revolution.

What percent of US is German?

There are more than 49 million people with German ancestry in the United States, a number that accounts for 16 percent of the American population.

Is America a Germanic country?

More Americans have German ancestry than any other. Many American cities, like Cincinnati, St. Louis and Milwaukee, have a heavy German influence.

Which US state has the most German ancestry?

Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, with 3.5 million people of German ancestry, has the largest population of German-Americans in the U.S. and is home to one of the group’s original settlements, Germantown (Philadelphia), founded in 1683 and the birthplace of the American antislavery movement in 1688, as well as the revolutionary Battle of …

Are Amish of German descent?

While most Amish and Old Order Mennonites are of Swiss ancestry, nearly all speak Pennsylvania Dutch, an American language that developed in rural areas of southeastern and central Pennsylvania during the 18th century.

Why does North Dakota speak German?

By the end of the 19th century, approximately 70,000 German-speaking settlers from the Volga river region and from German villages in what is now the Ukraine had moved to North Dakota. Today, half of North Dakota’s population has Russian-German roots. German is still spoken in some villages there.

How did Australia get their accent?

Australian English arose from a dialectal ‘melting pot’ created by the intermingling of early settlers who were from a variety of dialectal regions of Great Britain and Ireland, though its most significant influences were the dialects of Southeast England.