Germans, at more than 30% comprise the largest ethnic group in the US, but have mostly assimilated. What if a large portion of them keep their German Identity and language intact much like Germans in Eastern Europe or the Russian Empire. What changes would it cause?
If they have the same numbers, US culture'll probably look a lot like that of the Texas "German Belt".
USAmerican cuisine's going to be rather different if the German influance is diminished.
Not to mention German-language TV and Radio stations. Perhaps German being taught as a "compulsory second language" in American Schools by 2000s ?
Actually German was an acceptable/visible ethnic group until the wars. If the US stayed completely neutral in WWI or WWI didn't happen, it's entirely possible that the Germans would be a far larger, more visible, more politically powerful group than the OTL Irish, Poles and Jews (each of which exert political power out of proportion to their population).Indeed. Probably earlier.
US participation in the World Wars will be different for sure.
Actually German was an acceptable/visible ethnic group until the wars. If the US stayed completely neutral in WWI or WWI didn't happen, it's entirely possible that the Germans would be a far larger, more visible, more politically powerful group than the OTL Irish, Poles and Jews (each of which exert political power out of proportion to their population).
OTOH, today e.g. Polish CLUBS etc are prominent, but the group has largely assimilated linguistically. I suspect that even if 'German-American' was a proud label that most (especially young) people would still be speaking English at home.
Actually German was an acceptable/visible ethnic group until the wars. If the US stayed completely neutral in WWI or WWI didn't happen, it's entirely possible that the Germans would be a far larger, more visible, more politically powerful group than the OTL Irish, Poles and Jews (each of which exert political power out of proportion to their population).
OTOH, today e.g. Polish CLUBS etc are prominent, but the group has largely assimilated linguistically. I suspect that even if 'German-American' was a proud label that most (especially young) people would still be speaking English at home.
Speaking of Iowa, in 1918 Governor Harding passed one of the most far-reaching language laws, the infamous "Babel Proclamation" which made it illegal to speak any language other than "American" in public, on trains or over the telephone. This included banning church services in other languages (plus presumably Jewish services in Hebrew and Latin Masses)- Harding responded to this by saying that God only heard prayers said in English!Let's see... there'd be a lot more German place names... Larger parts of the country would probably look more like Iowa..
There were millions of Yiddish-speakers in USA pre-WWI already (ancestors of majority of modern-day Jewish Americans came to the USA pre-WWI). Although I would agree that with continuing existence of German as "Public" language in the USA and without Holocaust Jews would gravitate toward learning it as 2nd (3rd) language. I could see a number of pretty funny interactions between older Yiddish-speakers and their younger offspring who studied German as a second language in schools and consider it good enough reason not to learn Yiddiah.the Yiddish would also identify with the Germans more (however no WWII would probably have large numbers of Pale Jews moving to Germany rather than America, though I expect their presence to be strong.
"Ach, General Lee es ist zehr schlect that Sie never understood the writings of Clausewitz. If Sie had, dann perhaps things vould have turned out differently...oder nicht. Es machts nichts. Sign the documents of Surrender now, bitte."
That is fucking awesome.There were "German scares" in the 50s (well 1750s to be accurate) in Pennsylvania. The English colonist were afraid that the ever-incresing numbers of German immigrants would soon dominate the Commonwealth. Of course, despite a heavy German influence in the Pennsylvania Dutch region, the Germans assimilated into the greater American culture (not counting the Amish). If German immigration were increased beyond the already huge numbers that arrived in OTL (perhaps by having the Revolutions of 1848-49 going much worse and much bloodier) there is the definate possiblity of German becoming the dominate culture in many regions of the nation. This would almost certainly effect everthing from regional dialects to the US's role in WWI.
I personally would love to see Helmuth von Moltke, recently arrived in the US to escape the never ending chaos in the French and Russian occupied German states, taking a leading role in the ACW as commander of the Army of the Potomac.
"Ach, General Lee es ist zehr schlect that Sie never understood the writings of Clausewitz. If Sie had, dann perhaps things vould have turned out differently...oder nicht. Es machts nichts. Sign the documents of Surrender now, bitte."
Benjamin