Italian Immigrants in America

Italian Immigrants

During the late 1800's Italy became one of the most overcrowded countries in Europe. Many Italians began to consider the possibility of leaving Italy to escape the new low wages and high taxes. For centuries the entire Italian peninsula was divided into quarreling states, with foreign powers often controlling several states. In this chaotic situation, the feudal system ruled above the economic system, leaving money only in the hands of a select few (Wikepedia.com, 2007).

The peasants in the deprived, southern area of Italy and the island of Sicily had little hope of upgrading their lives. Many diseases and natural disasters spread through the area. On top of this, Italy's crumbling government was in no state to come to its people's aid. Word that life in America was soon spreading across the land, and more and more Italians found it difficult to resist the thought of a new and more prosperous life. Italian immigrants began piling in to Ellis Island in New York to take their first steps on U.S. soil in search for a new beginning (The Library of Congress, 2004).

Most Italians found unskilled work in America's cities. There were large colonies in the areas of Philadelphia, Chicago, New York and Detroit (The Library of Congress, 2004). The Italian people were willing to work long hours on low wages. The first problem that immigrants from Italy faced was the poor working and housing conditions. The majority of these people lived in tenement houses. These houses were crammed, low-rise apartment buildings that were overcrowded to dangerous degrees. Some did not have indoor plumbing and most were overflowing with disease and vermin (Magnussen, L. (1999).

As more and more people traveled from Europe and Asia to America, anti-immigrant hate grew as well. The United States was in the middle of an economic depression, and immigrants were blamed for taking jobs away from the Americans. Racist articles were springing up in the press, making these theories that the immigrants were childish and criminal more and more popular (Wikepedia.com, 2007).

A rivalry with the Irish began to find unskilled work in industrial areas. As the number of Italians in the United States increased, they began to dominate many of the occupations that were earlier controlled by the Irish. They Italians worked in various industries, such as woollen mills and shoe factories.