The use of the German language in the schools of San Antonio, Texas, from 1880 to 1910

The purpose of this historical study was to determine factors that either caused or that contributed to the disappearance of the German language from curricula of American public school systems and higher education in areas with concentrations of German-surnamed populations. The selected time period was 1880 to 1910, when after-effects of the Civil War had subsided and the German Empire was established. The geographical area selected was San Antonio, Texas, the largest city of Texas, at that time. America was a primary target for immigrants from German-language regions during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is estimated that descendants of these population groups are almost as high as those of immigrants from the British Isles. While English became the American language, German only survived in different variances in small geographical pockets as local means of communication. Using San Antonio, (a) roles and functions of the contemporary society, (b) development and change of curriculum, (c) the role of German-language minorities in education, and (d) political, economic and social developments were, evaluated and compared for the selected time period. [...]