Once Upon A Time In America: The Early Italian Immigrant's Assimilation Experience Part 3 Of 4
Minggu, 06 Januari 2013
0
komentar
In this, part 3 of a 4 part series that explores Italian immigration into the United States, we will explore the progression and ascension of Italian immigrants into American culture. In part 1 and 2 we discussed the background of various Italian immigrants and why they came to America, and the often poor treatment these immigrants received at the hands of both Americans themselves and their own countrymen.
Newly arriving Italian immigrants were much different from those who had previously arrived. These were mostly laborers and farmers looking for steady work. They only came to visit for a short time, a minimum of five years, just long enough to make a decent amount of money to take back to Italy to gain economic security. These Italians were called "birds of passage." Most were young men in their teens and twenties who left their parents, young wives, and children behind, determined to return as soon as possible. The ones that did decide to stay, taking occasional visits back and forth to their homeland, worked extremely hard to send money to their families or to bring their families to America. The Italian government stood to benefit from this exodus by $4 million to $30 million each year.
One of the first procedures at Castle Garden and Ellis Island that the immigrant had to face as they arrived in America was the medical evaluation. The second test was to determine mental deficiency. Immigrants who showed no signs of mental or physical deficiencies were asked questions by the immigration inspectors in the native tongue of the immigrant. The Italians who didn't have papers had tags hung on them with the letters W.O.P. (without papers).
Many of the immigrants arrived penniless, having exhausted their savings on the journey; those few with money soon fell prey to the waterfront sharper.
From the hills and vineyards of Lombardy and Tuscany, from the mountains of Abruzzi and the farms of Basilicata and the mines of Sicily, they all came with big dreams and great expectations. Upon release from Ellis Island, the new Italian immigrants would fan throughout New York City. New York consisted of crowded and neglected tenements in the lower part of Manhattan. Once in America, Northerners and Southerners were treated identically. They all had to find a way to survive. Since the majority of Italian immigrants expected their stay in America to be brief, they had to live as inexpensively as possible. This led to intolerable conditions. Large numbers of Italians were confined to a claustrophobic indoor life, existing in the worst tenement living conditions of the Mulberry bend of Lower Manhattan. They had to live in damp smelly cellars or attics, up to 6 or 10 people, men, women and children, packed into crowded single rooms where "filth for so many years reigned undisturbed and pestilence wiping out hundreds of lives annually." These tenement buildings were dangerous fire-traps, a breeding place for murderous rodents that would kill babies in their cribs. The poor did not have the luxury of water, especially if they lived on the upper level. Water had to be carted from the fire hydrant in the street all the way upstairs. The Italian immigrants would come to the dumps to search for rags. They would bring food with them, squatting down in the filth to eat their lunch. As they did not plan to stay long in America, assimilation was the furthest thing from their mind.
Poverty forced the immigrants to take whatever work was offered, accepting the jobs that other Americans didn't want, just so they could support themselves. Since most of the Southern Italian immigrants were farmers or farm hands, the only jobs they could get were unqualified and dangerous with the lowest pay-scale possible. Many families would create sweat shops and bring projects into the home. Everyone participated. Even children were sent out to find work in factories, mines or on farms.
There were many that were not fortunate enough to find steady work. They returned to their native Italy, discouraged with empty pockets. These Italian immigrants, tricked by the stories told to them in Europe about plentiful work and big wages in America, were induced to leave their native land, only to find suffering and hunger as a result of the deception of the steamship agents. The illusion that American streets were paved with gold and that there was steady work at high wages only added to their disappointment when they realized that America was by no means the labor paradise they expected.
There were others with an entrepreneurial spirit, armed with knowledge and skills. They were able to live a better existence. Northern men accepted tough jobs at lower wages just to survive and keep their families together. In 1912, the Northern Italian immigrant averaged $11.28 in income per week, while the Southerner earned a meager $9.61.
The early Italian immigrants were not welcomed in America; they were verbally abused with slurs such as "wop," "guinea," and "dago," which resulted in open hostility, suspicion and distrust. In some areas, the early Italian immigrants met with anti-Roman Catholic, anti-immigrant discrimination and violence, such as the lynching in 1891 of eleven Italians in New Orleans, Louisiana, even though they were found not guilty of murder. They were disliked and treated harshly by Americans. They found themselves in a strange land where they were forced to adapt to an urban way of life, contrary to their own backgrounds. They were looked upon as ignorant and unworthy, living in crowded apartments where disease ran rampant. They were even associated with crime, namely with the Mafia.These aspects of American life influenced an unfavorable American experience among the early Italian immigrants. Most of them had no interest in assimilation.
The treatment they received from Americans gave the immigrants a greater wanting to keep to themselves. For the Italian, family was and still is extremely valuable. Anyone outside the blood line was treated with suspicion and indifference. Associations were limited to family and paesanos.
The early Italian immigrants from all parts of Italy set aside their pre-existing differences and deep divisions, banding together and fending for themselves in this new hostile environment. Most of the Italian immigrants settled in cities, establishing their own neighborhoods according to their native province or village of origin, almost independent of the life of the great city. An Italian neighborhood, undaunted despite discrimination, hardships and suffering, has always worked diligently and consistently, preserving and promoting their cultural heritage. It was a neighborhood where life-long relationships never ceased to be formed. So powerful was this sense of neighborhood, that many families and their descendants till this day spend their entire lives living within its confines?
They possessed a fierce pride and loyalty to provincial customs and dialects. In these neighborhoods they could be free to speak their own language, eat their own ethnic foods, and practice their customs and religion as if back in their homeland without any hindrance. These communities were designated as "Little Italy". Here, the people followed the customs and ways of their forefathers. They would put their savings into Italian banks, Italian newspapers were published for their benefit, Italian theaters and moving-picture shows furnished them with recreation. The stores would display Italian names; Italian priests would minister to spiritual needs.
In the last part of this series, we will explore the importance of family to Italian-Americans in both the past and present-day.
Newly arriving Italian immigrants were much different from those who had previously arrived. These were mostly laborers and farmers looking for steady work. They only came to visit for a short time, a minimum of five years, just long enough to make a decent amount of money to take back to Italy to gain economic security. These Italians were called "birds of passage." Most were young men in their teens and twenties who left their parents, young wives, and children behind, determined to return as soon as possible. The ones that did decide to stay, taking occasional visits back and forth to their homeland, worked extremely hard to send money to their families or to bring their families to America. The Italian government stood to benefit from this exodus by $4 million to $30 million each year.
One of the first procedures at Castle Garden and Ellis Island that the immigrant had to face as they arrived in America was the medical evaluation. The second test was to determine mental deficiency. Immigrants who showed no signs of mental or physical deficiencies were asked questions by the immigration inspectors in the native tongue of the immigrant. The Italians who didn't have papers had tags hung on them with the letters W.O.P. (without papers).
Many of the immigrants arrived penniless, having exhausted their savings on the journey; those few with money soon fell prey to the waterfront sharper.
From the hills and vineyards of Lombardy and Tuscany, from the mountains of Abruzzi and the farms of Basilicata and the mines of Sicily, they all came with big dreams and great expectations. Upon release from Ellis Island, the new Italian immigrants would fan throughout New York City. New York consisted of crowded and neglected tenements in the lower part of Manhattan. Once in America, Northerners and Southerners were treated identically. They all had to find a way to survive. Since the majority of Italian immigrants expected their stay in America to be brief, they had to live as inexpensively as possible. This led to intolerable conditions. Large numbers of Italians were confined to a claustrophobic indoor life, existing in the worst tenement living conditions of the Mulberry bend of Lower Manhattan. They had to live in damp smelly cellars or attics, up to 6 or 10 people, men, women and children, packed into crowded single rooms where "filth for so many years reigned undisturbed and pestilence wiping out hundreds of lives annually." These tenement buildings were dangerous fire-traps, a breeding place for murderous rodents that would kill babies in their cribs. The poor did not have the luxury of water, especially if they lived on the upper level. Water had to be carted from the fire hydrant in the street all the way upstairs. The Italian immigrants would come to the dumps to search for rags. They would bring food with them, squatting down in the filth to eat their lunch. As they did not plan to stay long in America, assimilation was the furthest thing from their mind.
Poverty forced the immigrants to take whatever work was offered, accepting the jobs that other Americans didn't want, just so they could support themselves. Since most of the Southern Italian immigrants were farmers or farm hands, the only jobs they could get were unqualified and dangerous with the lowest pay-scale possible. Many families would create sweat shops and bring projects into the home. Everyone participated. Even children were sent out to find work in factories, mines or on farms.
There were many that were not fortunate enough to find steady work. They returned to their native Italy, discouraged with empty pockets. These Italian immigrants, tricked by the stories told to them in Europe about plentiful work and big wages in America, were induced to leave their native land, only to find suffering and hunger as a result of the deception of the steamship agents. The illusion that American streets were paved with gold and that there was steady work at high wages only added to their disappointment when they realized that America was by no means the labor paradise they expected.
There were others with an entrepreneurial spirit, armed with knowledge and skills. They were able to live a better existence. Northern men accepted tough jobs at lower wages just to survive and keep their families together. In 1912, the Northern Italian immigrant averaged $11.28 in income per week, while the Southerner earned a meager $9.61.
The early Italian immigrants were not welcomed in America; they were verbally abused with slurs such as "wop," "guinea," and "dago," which resulted in open hostility, suspicion and distrust. In some areas, the early Italian immigrants met with anti-Roman Catholic, anti-immigrant discrimination and violence, such as the lynching in 1891 of eleven Italians in New Orleans, Louisiana, even though they were found not guilty of murder. They were disliked and treated harshly by Americans. They found themselves in a strange land where they were forced to adapt to an urban way of life, contrary to their own backgrounds. They were looked upon as ignorant and unworthy, living in crowded apartments where disease ran rampant. They were even associated with crime, namely with the Mafia.These aspects of American life influenced an unfavorable American experience among the early Italian immigrants. Most of them had no interest in assimilation.
The treatment they received from Americans gave the immigrants a greater wanting to keep to themselves. For the Italian, family was and still is extremely valuable. Anyone outside the blood line was treated with suspicion and indifference. Associations were limited to family and paesanos.
The early Italian immigrants from all parts of Italy set aside their pre-existing differences and deep divisions, banding together and fending for themselves in this new hostile environment. Most of the Italian immigrants settled in cities, establishing their own neighborhoods according to their native province or village of origin, almost independent of the life of the great city. An Italian neighborhood, undaunted despite discrimination, hardships and suffering, has always worked diligently and consistently, preserving and promoting their cultural heritage. It was a neighborhood where life-long relationships never ceased to be formed. So powerful was this sense of neighborhood, that many families and their descendants till this day spend their entire lives living within its confines?
They possessed a fierce pride and loyalty to provincial customs and dialects. In these neighborhoods they could be free to speak their own language, eat their own ethnic foods, and practice their customs and religion as if back in their homeland without any hindrance. These communities were designated as "Little Italy". Here, the people followed the customs and ways of their forefathers. They would put their savings into Italian banks, Italian newspapers were published for their benefit, Italian theaters and moving-picture shows furnished them with recreation. The stores would display Italian names; Italian priests would minister to spiritual needs.
In the last part of this series, we will explore the importance of family to Italian-Americans in both the past and present-day.
TERIMA KASIH ATAS KUNJUNGAN SAUDARA
Judul: Once Upon A Time In America: The Early Italian Immigrant's Assimilation Experience Part 3 Of 4
Ditulis oleh Unknown
Rating Blog 5 dari 5
Semoga artikel ini bermanfaat bagi saudara. Jika ingin mengutip, baik itu sebagian atau keseluruhan dari isi artikel ini harap menyertakan link dofollow ke https://fashiondailymotion.blogspot.com/2013/01/once-upon-time-in-america-early-italian_6.html. Terima kasih sudah singgah membaca artikel ini.Ditulis oleh Unknown
Rating Blog 5 dari 5
Categories:
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar