Race & Ethnicity in the United States Final Exam Study Guide Italians:The Italians were very similar to the German Immigrants. The first to arrive to America were well liked by the wasps.There were two waves of immigration: The first from 1770-1810. The second from 1880-1920. First Wave-Well liked Northern-Italians for several reasons: 1. The came in low numbers, around 90,000.2. Came from Northern Italy – Florence, Milan, Rome, Venice- Which are well known and cultured places that Americans knew of and respected. They were seen as bastions of culture, history, and economy. Northern Italians-Were engrained in European Affairs- they were cultured, educated, and connected to the rest of Europe. They were stereotyped as Cosmopolitan: Light skinned, Fair hair and eye color. They looked similar to WASPS so they fit in. Many Northern Italians were also protestant. Northern Italians were seen by WASPS as hard workers due to them having money (Like thePA. Dutch) and speaking English-Skilled Laborers- Set apart from other immigrants, they built buildings in Philadelphia and New York. -Northern Italians brought Opera to North America.-Northern Italians in America were businessmen, Artists, Artisians, Profession-als.-They were NOT tied to the cities, they traveled around the country for their work. -Spread out so their numbers were small in locations, Spanning from New York to Florida to California. Developed the citrus industry in Florida, and opened up restaurants in New York. Phillip Mazzei-Typical Northern Italian who was well educated. He came to America to be a Physician, he spoke English, became close with Thomas Jefferson. Mazzei was a writer during the American Revolution who signedpamphlets, that urged to take up arms against the British, under the Name of Furiosso.Mazzei’s writings influenced the declaration of indepen-dence, and Mazzei provided architects to build the capital in America. Southern Italians – Second Wave immigration - Darker skinned, darker features than Northern Italians- Wasps immediately relate Southern Italians to the stereotype the English gave Africans – Black is Bad.- Southern Italians were illiterate and had no skills other than farming in south-ern Italy & Sicily. - Major cities of Rome, Naples, Palermo – People from Southern Italy called Contadini (Italian for Peasant)- They were Farmers and land-workers, using 4,000 year old methods. There were very few rivers in Southern Italy leaving little water for farming. Only 8% of the artificial Irrigation in Italy was in the South.Italian Unification:Italy was like Germany- A bunch of independent states- until it was unified after a decade of internal fighting. This unification benefited the North – The North said they would use unification to make Southern Italy prosperous, but the money flowed north due to there being a central treasury controlled by the North. You needed to be a landowner to vote, so 98% of the votes came from the North, causing the North to have a monopoly on the government. The North-ern Italians use tax money to build a railroad… from Northern Italy to Paris , leaving the south out. The south was only considered when it was time to collecttaxes. -Southern Italians lived in hobbles and tents while being taxed to build large Northern Italian Government Buildings. -Droughts were common occurrence for farmers, along with floods. The floods carried away topsoil, ruined homes and crops, caused starvation and ex-haustion in southern Italy. - Southern Italians were concerned with daily survival. They had Dirty water thatled to disease like Cholera and Malaria. Push Factors for Southern Italians – (Including the previous paragraph)-Natural Disasters – Volcanoes, including Mt. Vesuvius near Naples, Mt. Etna in Sicily. -Tidal Wave – 1908 and Mt. Etna Erupted in 1910- these two combined cre-ate a Push Factor to leave. -Other Push Factors: - Shitty Government- Starvation- DiseaseTypical Southern Italian Family- - Family was important, especially the extended family. - Campanilismo- The Italian spirit of community – the idea that your family is your immediate support structure and then the people of your village is your secondary support. - They do not trust people outside their family and community and distrusted other institutions. Catholic Church- Southern Italians used it for baptism, marriage, and funerals and that’s it. They didn’t go to church for socials or school like other cultures.- They would have daily prayer, rituals, and charms- These were ways to ap-pease the saint you wanted to aid you on a day to day basis. - The Evil Eye – Belief that it is a curse of a saint and you can stop it by wear-ing charms and amulets that prevent curses. If you were a hard worker in Southern Italy, you were a good Citizen – Lazy work-ers were ostracized and dishonored.- Belief in honor and Vendettas- Living an outstanding life (on guard 24 hoursto not be dishonored), never telling a lie, etc. If you did something by mis-take or on purpose to someone, their family would avenge their deaths. - Vendettas were stopped by rival families having a marriage between a mem-ber of each.Southern Italian Immigrants – Seven Million came between 1880 and 1920. Not all stayed, they practiced Return Migration Padrones – Southern Italians in America who were employment agents for Im-migrants (non-asshole runners) They would help immigrants find a place to stay, food, acted as interperters, apartment finders. They set up immi-grants with jobs. Padrones were paid by American Businesses to find Ital-ians to work for them. Some Padrones would travel to southern Italian vil-lages to recruit members. Southern Italians didn’t have it easy, but were way better off than the Irish due to the Padrone’s help. Birds of Passage – Southern Italians that went to work in America to make enough money to return to Italy and live comfortably. They stayed for 2-3 years and worked very hard, and when they returned to Italy they were called Americanos – They showed off their money, wearing American clothes, smoking American Tobacco, speakin American Ideas. They were respected by their villagers for their work ethic, and influenced many to become birds of passage. Some who went to America stayed and sent money back. From 1880-1920 about a billion dollars was sent to southern Italy. They bought steerage class tickets to America – The Mediterranean part of the voyage was calm, and then they hit
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