Essay On Italian Immigration

Since the foundation of the country, immigration has been the driving force behind the country. The United States is one of the countries that has received more immigrants in the entire world. These immigrants have assimilated the "American way of life", but also they have changed their environment, and the American Society. That is the case of the Italian immigrants, one of the strongest immigrant groups in the country. The history of Italian immigration to the United States is a long one, dating from late 1800 to 1940-50. Sources estimate that during 1876 to 1976, nearly 26 million Italians migrated to the U.S. (Cavaioli 215). The number of Italians in the country was so big that they were able to keep their ways of life, and adapt them to

After World War II, the immigration flow was still high, and many immigrants came to the United States escaping from a war-torn country that did not offer them the opportunities they needed to reconstruct their lives. Typically, Italian immigration had come from the southern part of the country. However, the post-war Italy saw emigration from the North-East part of the country, as well as the northern industrial cities such as Milan (Bonifazi et al. 6). It was only in the 1970s when the country’s economic situation started to improve, and immigration to the U.S. dwindled (Cavaioli

My father was a shoemaker, and my mother was a housewife. Back in Italy, women used to stay home with the kids, rather than finding a job, or whatever. We had a small garden in our house with some vegetables, and she spent their days there, with the plants. Most houses had a patch where they cultivated some plants to eat (sic).

Do Americans you have met know about Italian culture? People believe that Italy is all about pasta; pizza, and mafia. There are many things about Italian culture that people don’t know. Besides, pizza is not even famous in Verona! Americans don 't know much about Italian culture, but they admire it. That is good.

How have you been treated in the country? After sixty-one years in the U.S. and being an American citizen, I feel more part of America than of Italy. However, at the beginning it was hard, I didn 't know English and didn 't know how to communicate with people. Luckily, I was surrounded by my family, we supported each other and were able to adapt to the country. For us Italians, the family is important and sometimes can make a big difference.

Do your sons and daughters speak Italian? I and my wife keep speaking Italian sometimes, and we tried to teach the language to our son and daughter. I think that language is important as it keeps traditions and helps them remembering that they are Americans, but also