In 2011 the Pew Research Center produced a survey that found that approximately 37.6 million people living in the United States speak Spanish in their homes (Gonzalez-Barrera and Lopez). While it may not seem like much, keep in mind the fact that this number reflects approximately 10% of the total American population; and the number of Spanish-speaking people coming to this country is constantly increasing. That said, some people, in government or elsewhere, would see the Spanish language marginalized or even totally forgotten in our national identity. I'm here to say that we shouldn't forget something that has helped shape the diverse fabric of our nation for hundreds of years. Instead of simply denying the fact that Spain is increasingly becoming a powerhouse, so to speak, in our country, we should embrace it and use it to our advantage as Americans. I propose that we, American citizens and members of our federal government, recognize Spanish as the de facto language of the United States. As stated above, approx. In America, 37.6 million people over the age of 5 speak Spanish at home. This includes Hispanics and a surprisingly large amount of non-Hispanic individuals. As a matter of fact, just under 3 million of these speakers are non-Hispanic (Gonzalez-Barrera and Lopez). Many people who are not Hispanic but speak Spanish are married to a Hispanic or have Hispanic relatives. And this demographic is growing more and more every year. One of the reasons the United States has such a large population of Spanish speakers is the fact that the Spanish Empire was once a major power in the area. And for this reason, Spanish has long been part of the culture not only of the North American continent, but also of the area that is now known...... center of paper...... January 28, 2014.“Language . ” www.finlandia.org. Embassy of Finland, 31 January 2014. Web. 5 February 2014.Remeseira, Claudio Ivan. “The United States is the fifth largest Spanish-speaking country.” NBC Latin. NBC, 7 August 2013. Web. 28 January 2014. “The four national languages ​​of Switzerland”. Everything about Switzerland. Network. February 5, 2014.US Census Bureau. “Hispanic Americans by the Numbers.” info please. Network. January 29 2014.