Diversity Still Reigns in the U.S. - One Common Language Holds it Together

A stunning map indicative of the diversity of the United States was recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau, noting how the United States maintains its hallmark diversity. The report, Ancestry: 2000, found that 24 different ancestries were the most populous in one or more of the 3,141 counties, independent cities and Census areas in the United States. The Census report is available at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf

“The Census map of ancestries is an excellent display of the diverse backgrounds of our citizens,” said U.S. English Chairman Mauro E. Mujica. “However, the most astonishing aspect is how the people of such different roots have come to co-exist in one nation under one common language.”

According to the report, German was the most common ancestry, most numerous across the upper Midwest and Great Plains. African-American and “American” led in the South, Mexican headlined many border counties in the Southwest and much of the Northeast reported counties where those of French, Italian, Irish and English ancestry outnumbered all others. Other ancestries which topped the list in one or more counties included: Aleut/Eskimo, American Indian, Chinese, Cuban, Dominican, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, French Canadian, Hawaiian, Hispanic/Spanish, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese and Puerto Rican. The compilation was based upon self-reported answers collected from the long form distributed to 1-in-6 households for Census 2000.

“If you were to make the same map of Europe, there would be the same spectrum of ancestries,” explained Mujica. “However, that map would be delineated by country and language borders, a boundary where one nation ends and another begins. In the United States, one can travel from a community where German is the most popular ancestry to one where Mexican ancestry predominates, without the need for a passport or language training. Our common language, along with a belief in our anthem and our flag, is emblematic of our national motto, E Pluribus Unum: From many, one.

“Had these immigrants not made the effort to learn the common language in the United States, America would not have grown into the vibrant nation it is today. Instead, language barriers would arrest our progress, much as it has in Canada, India and Belgium. If we are to continue growing as one nation, English learning must be the priority for today’s diverse newcomers that it was for past immigrants.”

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.