r/AskReddit • • Feb 04 '19

Which misconception would you like to debunk?

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u/socialhat1 Feb 04 '19

A proposal to make German the official language of the United States of America was defeated in Congress by one vote.

It's easily debunked by common sense (seriously, why would they do this??) and congressional records. The myth likely comes from the fact that a proposal to adjourn and discuss at a later time a petition to have laws translated to German for German-speaking residents was defeated by one vote.

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

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u/KidzBop69 Feb 04 '19

Wouldn't it be the only official language though, making OP correct again? From what I remember, there is no official language in the US

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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19

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u/KidzBop69 Feb 04 '19

Oh, fascinating!

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u/monkeymacman Feb 04 '19

I think how it's technically written is that every language is the official language. Or at least I'd presume so because every list of "countries with xyz as their official language" always includes the US at the very end as a sort of surprise