Italians Immigrants
Michelle Villa & Leslie Reyes
When The Italians Came To The U.S and Why They Came
The first Italian that set foot in the United States was Christopher Columbus in 1492, but in the 1880's 300,000 migrated on a boat to the U.S. They were known as the "New Immigration" which was the third and largest wave from Europe and other countries. They came to the U.S to get jobs as farmers, fisherman, stevedores. Some also worked in the Appalachia and west mountains, they went into pits, and mines, digging coal, and ore.
Where They Settle
They scattered all over the New York region, the Bronx and nearby towns in New Jersey.
Italians Groups
5% of the Italian Immigrants to the U.S. came from Southern Italy.
4.5 million arrived in the U.S. between 1876-1924
2 million of them came between 1901-1910
4.5 million arrived in the U.S. between 1876-1924
2 million of them came between 1901-1910
Italians Under Attack
From the late 1880s they were being attacked by KKK and mobs. They burned and vandalized the Italian's church (more than 20 were lynched). One of the bloodiest attacks took place in New Orleans in 1892. When the Chief of police was found shot to death on the street one night, the mayor blamed the "Sicilian gangsters", more than 100 were Sicilians. 19 were put on trial and were found not guilty. More than 10,000 Italians broke into jail. They dragged 11 Sicilians from the cells and and lynched them. It was the largest single mass lynching in U.S history
Their Italian Culture and How it Changed The U.S
Many distinctive events and practices maintained the unity of the village: weddings, feasts, christenings, and funerals. One that often caught the attention of outsiders was the festa—a parade celebrating the feast day of a particular village’s patron saint.
Homelands
Most Italians were farmers. They started as selling religious craft and also as barbers and hairdressing. That helped them raised money for their houses and food.