Italian Immigration To Italy Late 1800's

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From the years 1880 to the early 1900’s immigrants from Italy began to find their way to the new land in America. But why did they choose to move and why did they choose here? Opposition to the fascist rule of Benito Mussolini was one major cause of the great number of Italians leaving Italy. Other reasons were that poverty, overpopulation, and natural disaster all spurred in Italy in the late 1800’s. Also the illiteracy rate in southern Italy was nearly 70 percent, about 10 times as high as Germany, France and England in the late 1800’s. There was a lack of cultivatable land and of industrial resources such as coal and iron. Also they had a lack of modern agricultural technology, therefor the 80% of Italians who relied on farming for their …show more content…

There was also a disease, Phylloxera, which spread and killed many vineyards. Natural disasters destroyed many families’ lives in Italy including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and massive tidal waves. In Italy, a worker could make between $2 and $8 for 6 days of work, while in other countries such as the United States they could make around $20 or more a week. Italians came to America for a new start and with the visions of achieving the American Dream. In the late 1800’s and through history, people saw America as the “land of opportunity”, “the land of milk and honey” or “The Promised Land”. They believed that America was the place that they could turn their life around and get a job to support their family better than they could in their native country. The jobs that they found were not always easy. The first Italians to America often became fruit merchants in New York and wine growers in California. Many agricultural states …show more content…

Many immigrants suffered from both physical and verbal abuse because they were "different." Prejudice against Italians contributed to the false conviction of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti in 1921. Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian immigrants who were accused and convicted of murdering two men during an armed robbery in Massachusetts. After a controversial trial, the men were executed in August of 1927. Many arguments have been made, but it was highly believed that the men were not given a fair trial and it was due to racism that the men were convicted, not due to evidence. The groups of Italians to arrive were seen as “clannish” by the Americans, this was because they typically stuck to their own kind rather than assimilating. However, language and culture are major differences to overcome and very challenging, especially in the quickly growing American cities, where competition for living space and jobs was very fierce. Discrimination against Italians saw another wave during World War II. During this time, thousands of Italians were sent to camps or were heavily watched by the US Government. Others often had to have identification on them at all times if they worked near sensitive areas, such as around waterfronts and/or naval bases to prove that they were legal citizens in America. Immigrant men were typically paid less than American

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