AHC: Preserve German language and cuisine in the US

[Achaemenid Rome]

German immigrants and descendants formed a significant part of the population of the United States throughout the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries; yet we see almost no trace of their language or cuisine today, absorbed into the Anglo-American continuum.

How could the German language and cuisine survive in the United States?

 

[rfmcdonald]

It certainly would help if German immigrants were concentrated in discrete territories, preferably German-majority. Who was the science fiction writer who wrote about an Ah where Pennsylvania was an independent state speaking a German dialect?

 

[Achaemenid Rome]

It certainly would help if German immigrants were concentrated in discrete territories, preferably German-majority. Who was the science fiction writer who wrote about an Ah where Pennsylvania was an independent state speaking a German dialect?

Not sure about the writer, but that's an interesting suggestion.

Perhaps if an early United States administration tried to limit German immigration to exclusively Pennsylvania for 10-20 years. But ironically, this strengthens the language by providing a larger body of speakers in a smaller area. And at the time where people are rapidly moving west and colonizing the Old Northwest.

Through the period where this immigration restriction exists, the Midwestern states end up receiving both foreign German immigrants and German American pioneers, maybe spreading the language there, too.

 

[JackLumber]

Keeping the Americans neutral in ww1 will help a lot.

 

[MERRICA]

Keeping the Americans neutral in ww1 will help a lot.

This. And if it ends in CP Victory, even better. German will end up like Spanish today, a major language spoke by many in the US both for personal reasons if German American and for Business reasons .

 

[sloreck]

Up until WWI in certain areas, like Wisconsin, German was quite common. German along with French was the most common foreign language taught in US schools. WWI killed all that.

 

[Lalli]

USA allies with Germany on Great War or then USA is neutral and even better if Central Powers win the Great War.

 

[Byz]

Even better, butterfly WW1 entirely. Not only is there less animosity to Germans, there are more Germans coming over continuously.

 

[Achaemenid Rome]

What about religion? How could Lutheranism become the largest Protestant denomination in the US?

 

[A Most Sovereign Lady]

You all are underestimating how America works. The reason German language disappeared from German-Americans is because English comes to the forefront over the course of naturalization, German cuisine didn't vanish, it's a cornerstone of what a lot of people consider "American" is German in origin.

 

[Sicarius]

The Texas hill country still retains vestiges of its old German culture - there are even a few thousand native speakers of Texasdeutsch alive today. German culture hung on remarkably well until World War I, when Texas began enforcing English in the classroom. You can remedy that by keeping the US out of war with Germany. A lot of Germans who settled in Texas were fleeing the 1848 revolutions, so why not swell their numbers later by keeping Germany fractured and unstable? Napoleon III a bit more like Napoleon I, and France manages to keep Prussia from uniting the Germanies.

 

[JackLumber]

The Texas hill country still retains vestiges of its old German culture - there are even a few thousand native speakers of Texasdeutsch alive today. German culture hung on remarkably well until World War I, when Texas began enforcing English in the classroom. You can remedy that by keeping the US out of war with Germany. A lot of Germans who settled in Texas were fleeing the 1848 revolutions, so why not swell their numbers later by keeping Germany fractured and unstable? Napoleon III a bit more like Napoleon I, and France manages to keep Prussia from uniting the Germanies.

Napoleon III acting more like his uncle is a great way to piss off the British, so he wouldn't not only be dealing with a much scarier Prussia than his uncle did but he would also likely have the British breathing down his neck, not a recipe for success.

 

[Arkenfolm]

You all are underestimating how America works. The reason German language disappeared from German-Americans is because English comes to the forefront over the course of naturalization, German cuisine didn't vanish, it's a cornerstone of what a lot of people consider "American" is German in origin.

I'm pretty sure a substantial of German cuisine survives in those "old family recipes" and "my grandma's grandma used to make this". Especially in the Midwest.

 

[A Most Sovereign Lady]

Pretty sure my last sentence said exactly that.

 

[Gloss]

You all are underestimating how America works. The reason German language disappeared from German-Americans is because English comes to the forefront over the course of naturalization, German cuisine didn't vanish, it's a cornerstone of what a lot of people consider "American" is German in origin.

Not true, while of course naturalization is part of it one would imagine that the second most spoken language in Europe and of one of the strongest economy would be preserved and thought not only to immigrant German but also to the overall population.

But the world wars destroyed that, Germany was destroyed, outside of Europe its influence totally vanished and the language and culture were suppressed, were that not the case or reversing it by having USA allied to Germany you would easily have 2 digits % of the population speaking German fluently in the USA

 

[thezerech]

If Henry von Hohenzollern became King of America you'd see a lot of German influence for sure.

Keeping the U.S anti British throughout the 19th century and either neutral or in the CP would certainly do it.

 

[funnyhat]

What about religion? How could Lutheranism become the largest Protestant denomination in the US?

I've wondered about this. Given the huge number of Americans of German ancestry, why isn't Lutheranism a larger religion in the USA? It seems like most of the Lutherans I have met are of Scandinavian, rather than German, ancestry. What happened to German Lutheranism?

 

[Achaemenid Rome]

If Henry von Hohenzollern became King of America you'd see a lot of German influence for sure.

Would he?

If Prince Henry of Prussia became King of the United States, I think he would try to show an Americanized, "Mid-Atlantic" public image and minimize all but the military aspects of his Prussian background. As a monarch, he's already walking on eggshells by being appointed king of a country that just fought against monarchy, even if that was the compromise that was chosen.

Also, if a German king rules the US, related to another reigning monarch in Prussia, and sends in German settlers, that may be seen as Prussian imperialism.

 

[Skallagrim]

As much as it's overdone... just have the south secede successfully, and have it happen with British (or even better: Franco-British) support. Apart from Texas, most German immigrants were in the north. Those in Texas were largely anti-slavery and pro-Union, so a significant number of them might even be inclined to move north, rather than live in the CSA. Somewhere later on, the CSA - in typical cliché fashion - sides with Britain and France against Germany, while the USA sides with Germany. Presto: instead of German identity being suspicious (as in OTL's WW1) it's now perfectly natural in the USA to emphasise your cultural ties to staunch ally Germany.

 

[John7755 يوحنا]

Not true, while of course naturalization is part of it one would imagine that the second most spoken language in Europe and of one of the strongest economy would be preserved and thought not only to immigrant German but also to the overall population.

But the world wars destroyed that, Germany was destroyed, outside of Europe its influence totally vanished and the language and culture were suppressed, were that not the case or reversing it by having USA allied to Germany you would easily have 2 digits % of the population speaking German fluently in the USA

Well and until relatively recently you had large and wide areas where English was spoken very little. Look to Louisiana as an example of a state that kept a very strong French language identity due to migrations from Haiti and then solidifying that into a social order and hierarchy.