[olde north church]

It's a tough call but ultimately a bad sign.
I couldn't prove it, but I'd read once or twice before that German almost became the official language of the USA.
There is also the history of the American Southwest, Spanish-American War Islands and Florida with the history of Spanish but assimilation took care of most of it.

[olde north church]

Correction/edit on statement re: German Language America:
The myth that German almost became the official language of the United States persists even today.  Although the notion was widely spread by German travel authors of the 1840s, the vote never came to the congressional floor.  Colonial leaders had no tolerance for the German language.  During the war of 1812, only 9% of the U.S. population was German.  Officials ignored German-language farmers in Virginia who petitioned the House of Representatives in 1794 for a German translation of a law booklet.  More often than not, the idea reigned that the “faster they became Americans, the better,” and that meant speaking English. 
Most Germans sought economic prosperity, which required the ability to communicate with other Americans.  While bi-lingual schools existed through the early 20th century, the German language still was heard less and less.  By World War I, many communities had banned the teaching of German.
http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/culture/ger_americans/paper.html
With respect,
onc

[stainlessbanner]

The Spanish just lent Florida to the US for a few years. Now they are taking it back.

[dfwgator]

I couldn't prove it, but I'd read once or twice before that German almost became the official language of the USA.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Language (The German Vote)

[July 4th]

I don't know about the USA, but in Milwaukee it was the language of many businesses, including Miller Brewing, well into the 1900's.

[JustAnotherSavage]

"After praising Gonzales in English as a qualified public servant and a role model for Hispanic-Americans, Martinez switched to Spanish and addressed all "those who came to America to create a better life."



Benjamin Franklin had his concerns over the rising number of German immigrants who were pouring into Pennsylvania. He had "misgivings about Germans because of their clannishness, their little knowledge of English, the German press, and the increasing need of interpreters. Speaking of the latter he said, ‘I suppose in a few years they will also be necessary in the Assembly, to tell one-half of our legislators what the other half say.'" (Keely 1979, 9)