In 2011, the Pew Research Center produced a survey that found approximately 37.6 million people living in the United States spoke Spanish at home (Gonzalez -Barrera and Lopez). While that doesn't sound like much, keep in mind that this figure represents about 10% of the total U.S. population; and the number of Spanish speakers coming to this country continues to increase. All this being said, some, within the government or elsewhere, would see the Spanish language marginalized, or even completely forgotten in our national identity. I'm here to say 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 Spanish is becoming, so to speak, a greater and greater power 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 shown above, approx. In the United States, 37.6 million people over the age of 5 speak Spanish at home. This includes Hispanics and a surprisingly large number of non-Hispanic people. In fact, just under 3 million of these speakers are non-Hispanic (Gonzalez-Barrera and Lopez). Many people who are not yet Hispanic and who speak Spanish are either married to a Hispanic or have Hispanic parents. And this population is growing more and more every year. One of the reasons the United States has such a large Spanish-speaking population is because the Spanish Empire was once a major power in the region. And it is for this reason that Spanish has long been part of the culture not only of the North American continent, but also of the region that is known today...... middle of paper .... .. January 28, 2014. “Language.” www.finland.org. Embassy of Finland, January 31, 2014. Web. February 5, 2014.Remeseira, Claudio Ivan. “The United States is the fifth largest Spanish-speaking country. » NBC Latino. NBC, August 7, 2013. the web. January 28, 2014. “The four national languages ​​of Switzerland”. Everything about Switzerland. Internet. February 5, 2014. United States Census Bureau. “Hispanic Americans by the Numbers.” info please. Internet. January 29 2014.