I am reading the Ishmael Reed edited anthology from Totem to Hip Hop, a genuine multicultural work of poetry in english and which includes everything from Robert Frost to Lucille Clifton to Tupac Shakur (which i found had close ties to 18th century carpe diem poems)...it taught me that the first european lit in NA was in spanish (though quebcois french may come close) among other things.

Then reading langauge hat has a post concerning a couple of new anthologies about the langauges of early america. Only 40 per cent of the nation spoke English in 1776 (here) and earlier then that five contients (africa, europe, south america, asia, and itself) gave birth to a polyglot unknown before in human history--they came from slavery, expulsion, hope and colonolism to teach america.

now 87 per cent of americans speak english as a mother tounge, and the true lang. of america from aboriginal tounges to creoles, patois's and dialects are dying.