Moreno 2003
Between 1880 and 1924, over 4 million Italians emigrated to the United States of America through the renowned halls of Ellis Island.1 During the mass emigration during these years, the USA received the largest number of Italian immigrants in the world. Most of the Italian immigrants came from southern Italy in order to escape the economic hardship, natural disasters, high taxes, and scarcity of resources in their homeland.2 By 1910, more than 500,000 Italians lived in NY, but many of these residents ultimately returned to Italy.3
Moreno 2003
The Italians did not start having a more significant presence in the Lower East Side until the 1890s. This is when the influx of immigration shifted from “old immigration” hailing from Northern and Western Europe, to “new immigration”, mostly from Southern and Eastern Europe. In 1855, the Italian natives made up only 3% of the adult population of Five Points. By the 1880s, less than 30 years later, they had increased to 23%. By 1890, all Italians made up 49%, nearly half, of all Five Points residents.4
