Religious, racial, political persecution, desperation to aid in overcoming economic struggles, and famine pushed immigrants out of their homeland and to America (Immigration in the Early 1900’s). By the 20th century more Italians had immigrated to America than any other Europeans. In 1900-1910 many immigrants from Italy moved to the United States in hopes for a better life. Due to all of the natural disasters in Italy, people were left homeless, moneyless, and some without families. Cities were destroyed and people had nothing. The Italian immigrants never wanted to stay in the United States, they were looking for a jobs to make enough money to bring back to their families in Italy(Digital History, McNeil, S).
Most immigrants wanted to farm because it was a way of life they were familiar with, and they believed they could make enough money to survive. Unlike most of the immigrants, Italians did not want to farm, they preferred to work in the cities. The Italians immigrants never expected to stay in the United States and therefore ended up living as cheaply possible doing construction jobs. Half of the 1900-1910 Italian immigrants were manual laborers. They dug out tunnels, laid railroad tracks, built bridges and roads, and made the first skyscrapers(McNeil, S, Digital history). Italian immigrants took over the United States in terms of immigration population. The women did work but were almost never domestic servants. To reconcile the needs to earn money and maintain a backbone for the family, they would take piece work into their homes. Italians, like most immigrant groups, small business served as help for moving up in the immigrant status. Due to a lack of ethnic cohesiveness in America, politics for the immigrants were not pr...
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...e very successful in music and due to the invention of radio, they were able to move up in the social ranks. The music industry and the use of the radio and hand cranked victrola allowed the Americans to listen to recordings of opera stars. The broadway musicals became a bit hit as well as ballroom dancing, which became a replacement for the dance known as the waltz. Scott Joplin, a musician, was a prime example of how african Americans and immigrants used music as a way to succeed. Joplin was known for his ragtime music such as “The Entertainer”. “The Entertainer” was used in another famous leisure activity known as silent films(American Cultural History). Cultural diffusion in the United States had grown tremendously in the early 20th century. Paintings, architecture, music, and many more arts had been brought upon mainly by immigrants(American Immigration, pg 79).
Life of the Immigrants in My Antonia William Cather provided a great amount of information about the "old wild west" and the expansion of the United States. In My Antonia, Jim Burden tells a story of his childhood, the people in his life, and the struggles he and his surroundings faced during this time. At age ten, Jim Burden was sent by his relatives to be raised by his grandparents in the Nebraska prairie after his parents died. When he arrived at his new home, he was introduced to a Bohemian family that had just immigrated to America: the Shimerdas. Jim and Antonia, the Shimerda's daughter, quickly became friends.
When the Italian immigrants came to America for work they were desperate. They had already come for jobs, they were determined and hardworking. They would take the lowest class jobs wherever they could. City projects like building subway systems, and digging pipelines were not uncommon among the immigrants. Even children at young ages, would take jobs in factories, or even selling newspapers on the streets. Their work ethic and determination was unwavering. They opened the doors for future generations of immigrants. Although, they still had a long way to
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.
Throughout history, and even today, music has shaped America’s culture, society, and even politics. One of the most outstanding and enduring musical movement has been from African American artists, ranging from bebop to jazz to hip-hop to rap. During the 1920’s , jazz artists stepped into the limelight and began their impact on American and even world history. Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential leaders during the Harlem Renaissance and his jazz legacy and impact of American history is everlasting. A master of his craft, Armstrong and his music heavily influenced America’s white and black populations from the 1920’s and up until his death.
...they will not settle for less. Time is wasting. For, “Time which brings us from the lowest condition up to the highest civilization; time, so that we can raise men to a higher plane” (Reading 10, p. 2). Gompers has greater aims, for he wants to better America to keep advancing and creating. Of all of America, Chicago was the fastest growing city because of its railroad factory, which needed unskilled laborers like Italian immigrants. “The production of steel defined industrial Chicago” (Slideshow 7: Italian Immigrants in Chicago). If Italian immigrants were not in New York City, they were in Chicago. Wherever they lived they were experiencing horrifying working environments. In order to understand why these changes in conditions were so necessary between, it is essential to analyze the experiences of pre and post 1880 immigrants, especially that of the Italians.
Music was used as a critical instrument in the early 20th century in mobilizing and inspiring the civil rights movement by giving them more voice to bring out their grievances. According to Kerk (2007, p.18) Martin Luther King was the most prolific figure who utilized music to sensitize society, “we believe that freedom songs play a big and vital part in the struggle that we are going through” these words were also echoed by the Albany movement “music keeps us alive, it gives us a sense of unity, new courage every dawn, hope to move on that the future still holds something in our most daring and dreadful hours”. Development of Music The 20th century was a century in which the United States had great influence in the world of music across the globe. America was the birthplace of most influential music, from jazz to rock, which was promoted by the quality of technology like radio and phonographs. Advanced technology ensures fast distribution of music to Americans and all around the globe.
In 2009, I went to Italy to become an Au pair for two years. This was a difficult decision for me. I wasn’t able to speak Italian and had never lived abroad, away from my family and friends. I felt I needed this experience to push my boundaries and broaden my horizons. It was incredible to experience another country’s culture. Living in Italy made me realize how grateful, fortunate, and capable I am.
Immigration has always been a major part of America. In fact, without immigration the creation of America would not have been possible. The majority of immigrants came to America for religious freedom and economic opportunities. However, for the most part before the 1870’s most immigrants were Protestants from northern and western Europe. These immigrants often migrated to the United States as families and usually lived on farms with family or friends who had already migrated beforehand. A lot of immigrants came to America with a plan or goal in mind. They often had saved up money for the long immigration overseas, were skilled in a certain trade, or had already been educated at a high level. Sadly, this would not last. Immigration became so prominent in America between 1870 and 1900 that the foreign-born population of the United States had almost doubled. A lot of German and Irish Catholics had immigrated in the 1840’s and 1850’s, and more decided to immigrate after the Civil War. A portion of Americans were biased against Catholics. Thankfully, the Irish spoke English and the German Catholics reputation was improved because of their Protestant countrymen’s good reputation. However, their children often lacked any skill or education, but they were able to blend in quite well with the American society. More and more immigrants would migrate to the United States without any skill or education and on top of that they were usually poor. These immigrants were called “new” immigrants and they came from all over the world including Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Russia. However, you cannot blame immigrants for migrating to America. Many immigrants faced religious persecution in their home countries which pushed them away, otherwi...
Migration to America first started in the 1800’s with large numbers in Irish, Italian and Jewish cultures. Before coming to America many of the immigrant children did not have much of an education and families did not see education as being as important as learning a trade or finding a husband. Jewish families sent boys for religious education, however were not as worried about sending the girls. For Italian girls education was an option, however the poor needed the kids to stay home and work. Most Italian families could not afford to send their child to school. Irish girls were sent to school if the family could pay. Many children did attend, however the great famine forced many families to the point of starvation and funding was not available for the children. Eventually many families in Ireland were forced to leave Ireland and many sought salvation in America.
“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.
The United States experienced major waves of immigration during the colonial era, the first part of the 19th century and from the 1880s to 1920. Many people immigrated to America for
Cultural diversity is about people who identify with a particular group based on where they grew up, their ethnicity, the language they speak, the values they hold and their beliefs. This doesn’t mean everyone will be the same or think the same. The differences of the Italian culture compared to European American culture is hard to see. Italy is filled more with culturally diverse people and respects more of the ethnic groups of the world. The Italian culture show this in their celebrations, food, music, and traditions. Their greetings and life style are known more to the European side of the world than the western side. Respecting diversity encourages people to accept the differences between groups
By the end of World War I, Black Americans were facing their lowest point in history since slavery. Most of the blacks migrated to the northern states such as New York and Chicago. It was in New York where the “Harlem Renaissance” was born. This movement with jazz was used to rid of the restraints held against African Americans. One of the main reasons that jazz was so popular was that it allowed the performer to create the rhythm. With This in Mind performers realized that there could no...
Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, the United States experienced many new changes as a result of the Industrial Revolution. One of these changes was the major wave of immigrants from several countries. These “New Immigrants”, as they were called, were primarily Jewish, Italian, or slaves. “Between around 1880 and 1924, more than four million Italians immigrated to the United States, half of them between 1900 and 1910 alone.” (“When Did They”). One of those Italians was Delaney’s great great grandfather, Michelo or Michael, who came from Italy to America in 1909. Before he arrived in the U.S. from Italy, Michael worked on a farm. 2/3 of the Italian immigrant population were farm laborers or contadini. The laborers were mostly agricultural” Michael
Until the 1860s, the early immigrants not only wanted to come to America, but they also meticulously planned to come. These immigrants known as the “Old Immigrants” immigrated to America from many countries in Northern and Western Europe, known as, Sweden, Norway, Scandinavia, Wales and Ireland. Some of them traveled to Canada, but most of them came to the U.S. seeking freedom they didn’t get in their own countries. Ireland had also recently suffered through a potato famine, where the citizens were left poor and starving. Most settled in New York City and other large cities, where they worked in factories and other low-paying jobs. The immigrants caused a great increase in population in these areas. The “Old Immigrants” tried not to cluster themselves with others of their own nationality. They would mostly try to fit in with Americans as best as they could. Many of them had a plan to come to America, so they saved their money and resources before they arrived so they could have a chance at a better life. On the other hand, another group of immigrants began to arrive