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Italian Immigrants in America
Ever since the United States was founded, immigrants have been arriving on its soil. The first white inhabitants of the U.S. were immigrants from Europe. They came for many reasons, such as religion and opportunity. As the country grew and became more prosperous, it became more enticing to foreigners looking for opportunity. This continued into the 20th century and finally during the 1920’s, the United States began to restrict immigrants from coming to their country, mostly for cultural and economic reasons. Even the immigrants that were allowed in during the 20’s faced many hardships such as religious persecution, racism, and xenia phobia. One of the major groups of immigrants during that time was the Italians, but did the Italian immigrants experiences typify the overall immigrant experience during the 1920’s? From the research I have compiled, I would have to say yes. The Italians provide us with a wonderful look into the common immigrant experience due to their large numbers and their wide range of settlement throughout the U.S.
During the period from 1920 to 1930, 4,652,115 total immigrants came to the United States and 550,460 of these were Italians. That means that 11.8% of the immigrants over the ten years period were from Italy. (Historical Statistics of the United States). A little over half of the Italians made their homes in the city. When looking into the Italian immigrants of the 1920’s one can easily gain a wide perspective on the overall immigrant experience. The Italians, like the other immigrants, faced prejudice, had different cultural norms, and kept to themselves during the early years of their time in the U.S. Furthermore, the Italian immigr...
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...bated today with countries such as Mexico, and probably will be for some time to come.
Work Cited:
1. “Immigration.” Collier Encyclopedia. 1997 ed.
2. United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. Historical Statistics of the United States.. pt. 1. Washington: 1975.
3. “Italians.” American Immigrant Cultures. 1997
4. Caporole, Rocco. The Italian Americans Through the Generations. New York: The American Italian Historical Association, 1986
5. The Urban Experience of Italian-Americans Ed. Pat Gallo. New York: The American Italian Historical Association, 1975
6. “Our Immigration Dilemma.” New York Times 2 May 1920.
7. Vecoli, Rudolph J., Italian Immigrants in Rural and Small Town America. New York: The American Italian Historical Association, 1987
8. “Want Immigrants on Farms.” New York Times 6 June 1920.
Ginsborg P (1990). ‘A History of Contemporary Italy: Society and Politics: 1943-1980’ Published by Penguin; Reprint edition (27 Sep 1990).
In the years from 1860 through 1890, the prospect of a better life attracted nearly ten million immigrants who settled in cities around the United States. The growing number of industries produced demands for thousands of new workers and immigrants were seeking more economic opportunities. Most immigrants settled near each other’s own nationality and/or original village when in America.
In the book, Coming to America, by Roger Daniels, he states “Between 1880 and 1920 more than 4.1 million Italians were recorded as entering the United States.” (p188) However, most Italians did not come to America, they mostly immigrated to Argentina and Brazil. The Italian immigrants who did travel to America did not stay permanently. About thirty to fifty percent returned home. The Italians who did come to America were mostly artisans, merchants, businessmen, professional people, musicians, actors, writers and seamen were the occupations most Italians
She witnessed her first hardship when she had been only three years old. Her father, King Henry VIII, had ongoing suspicions about her mother’s strange behaviors, for he had suspected his second wife, Anne, to be performing the dishonorable act of adultery with more than five men of the palace’s chambers, one of the suspects being her own brother, stirring out a crime of incest and linking it to Anne. He then ordered the execution of Anne on the false charges of adultery which then stripped Princess Elizabeth of her title and left her going by Lady Elizabeth instead. Since Elizabeth had been declared illegitimate, many believed that she would never obtain the title queen. Fortunately for her, fate had it differently planned it out, and she grew to be the famous Virgin Queen of England.
Michelangelo was an Italian-born artist in 1488. Not too long after his birth, he was apprenticed to Ghirlandaio for three years, where Michelangelo learned elements of fresco technique and produced replicas of past Florentine masters. By the age of 16, Michelangelo was already producing his own style of art that were shown in his two relief sculptures. The following years after the death of Lorenzo de’ Medici in 1492, Michelangelo traveled and created more artwork. Some of the artworks produced were a wooden crucifix for the high altar for the Hospital of Sto Spirito, and marble statuettes for the Arca di San Domenico.
Michelangelo began work on the project off and on, but he became disgruntled when the pope’s priorities changed and the funds became more focused on military events. Michelangelo left Rome but then later returned in 1508 when Pope Julius II called him back for a less expensive, but still ambitious painting project: to depict the 12 apostles on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a most sacred part of the Vatican where new popes are elected and inaugurated. Michelangelo began the project and after four years, the original plan for 12 apostles developed into more than 300 figures and scenes from Genesis on the ceiling of the sacred space. Michelangelo did not use any assistants or apprentices and completed the 65-foot ceiling alone, spending endless hours on his back and guarding the project until revealing the finished work, on October 31, 1512. The most famous Sistine Chapel ceiling painting depicts the Creation of Adam, in which God and Adam outstretch their hands to one another. Although the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are probably the best known of his works today, Michelangelo thought of himself primarily as a sculptor. Michelangelo continued to sculpt and paint until his death, although he increasingly worked on architectural projects as he aged. In 1546, Michelangelo was appointed architect of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The process of replacing the Constantinian basilica of the 4th century had been underway for fifty years. Successive architects had worked on it, but little progress had been made, and Michelangelo was persuaded to take over the project. He developed an idea for a centrally planned church to strengthen the structure both physically and visually. The dome was not completed until after his death and has been called the “greatest creation of the
Once arriving in America, many Italians struggled to settle into their new country and life. They came to find jobs and start over. Yet they were not welcomed. They had to work as laborers, live in the slums. However, their cultures and family lives were impacted because many families were separated due to the conditions in Italy and lack of
“Chi la dura la vince.” This soft-spoken Italian proverb sums up the series of events that Italian immigrants endured on their journey in America. Between 1880 and 1920, more than four million Italian-Americans immigrated to the United States of America in hopes of temporarily escaping Southern Italy’s impoverished and overpopulated society. Once in America, these new Italian-American citizens started ‘Little Italys’ or ethnic enclaves of Italians. Some Little Italies were even large enough to support a full economic structure of their own, providing a plethora of job opportunities. These ‘small’ Italian communities shielded themselves from general stereotypes and provided a sense of belonging which helped Italians establish their roots. America’s attitude toward these new Italian-American citizens can be summed up in part by Congressman James McClintic, a Democrat Oklahoman: "I say the class of immigrants [Italians] coming to the shores of the United States at this time are not the kind of people we want as citizens in this country." Inplace of responding by aggressive human nature, America’s new Italian citizens viewed this as an opportunity to enrich family and community bonds. As for Italian traditions, they struggled to be accustomed between the two Italian generations as the already ‘Americanized’ Italian children clashed with their parents, which resulted in altered traditions. One major example is Italian-American food which chain restaurants have come to paint as a type of restaurant that specializes in spaghetti with meatballs, pizza, and has red checked tablecloths.
Many are unaware of the discrimination that Italian Immigrants had to face during their first wave to America, and even today. During their earliest times in America, labor struggles were forced upon them. Just like today with the Mexicans coming to America to make money for their loved ones back home, Italians traveled across seas to make a living to send home to their families. And just like today, many felt the Italians stole jobs away because they were willing to work for the lowest wages. This was only the beginning of Anti-Italianism discrimination in America (Salvatore J., 1999).
Claris, S. (1998). Italians Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America . October 17, 2004. Boston: Gale Research, Inc., 1995.
It took him four years to complete the whole ceiling. The Sistine Chapel is located in Vatican City, Italy which is the headquarters for the Roman Catholic Church. Michelangelo started painting the ceiling at the top of the altar and made his way towards the other side and ended by the entrance to the chapel. The 65-foot wide ceiling was painted in a such a way that, the viewer had to be standing at the farthest side of the altar wall in order to get the “best viewing point.” The whole story line of the entire ceiling was centered around the Old Testament; Michelangelo began with painting the Creation of the world and he finished with the story of Noah and the Flood. Michelangelo painted 12 female prophets around the outer edges of the ceiling, and in the remaining strip of the Ceiling at the center, he paints nine Genesis scenes, which included: the Creation of the World, Adam and Eve, and Noah, with 3 scenes from each story. All of these scenes were framed by a grisaille molding and statues in order for them to stand out from the other paintings. The colors in the painting have brightened up the whole chapel as a whole. The ceiling itself was painted a grayish and whitish tone, while the figures are painted different colors from pale to gold-bronze to very tan; it all depended on the person portrayed in the painting. A lot of the figures that exist in the spaces between the frames have
She encouraged the myth of the Virgin Queen. She never married because she knew that if she did her husband would take all the power. She was two years old when her father had her mother beheaded because she did not give him a son. Elizabeth was never heard speaking about or even saying her mother’s name. Soon after, Parliament said that Elizabeth was illegitimate to take the throne. She ...
The influx of Italians into the United States resulted in aspects of Italian culture becoming a part of American tradition. Upon arrival to the United States, while most immigrants (non- Italian) used New York as a stop along the way until further migrating to other parts of the country, Italians made New York their home; one-third of Italian immigrants never moved past New York City. Though Italian immigrant clusters
After receiving special permission from the Catholic Church, Michelangelo was permitted to study cadavers for the insight into the human anatomy. Soon after, in 1495, Michelangelo traveled back to Florence to begin work sculpting and modeling his style after classical a...
One of Michelangelo’s first projects was to copy the head of a faun ancient satyr-like figure, which he sculpted all out of marble. Among many Renaissance figures, the precocious young Michelangelo was working with marble for the first time. At a young age, Michelangelo received a commission from Jean Bilhères de Lagraulas to build a statue of a Virgin Mary with her crucified son, Jesus Christ, caressing in her arms. The Pietà was a marble masterpiece created for Bilhères de Lagraulas that balanced ideas of classical beauty and naturalism; this masterwork captured the grief and sorrows of the Virgin Mary as she cradles her crucified son. Even though the Pietà was one of Michelangelo’s first pieces of art, this sculpture brought solicitous emotion and had power in the eyes of the people; because of this, Michelangelo’s reputation spread promptly.