Henry Burby
MHC 10201
3/7/16
Italian Immigration in New York City
The Jewish migration of the mid to late 19th century overlapped the second largest immigrant group to come to New Your, the Italians. Generally less skilled then the Jews, the Italians were instead more like the Irish. They were unlikely to be literate, had little urban experience, and came to America to escape poverty and starvation. They were faced with financial, occupational hardships, and social prejudice. However, the Italians had different history then the irish, which made them unique. New York’s Italian population shot up from 1880 to 1914. Most early immigrants were young men, planning to purchase land back home with American money. Later, families started to arrive. Italians settled in many areas of the city. They followed the physical jobs they depended on, such as construction projects. Early Italian immigrants depended on padroni, labor contractors who helped with employment and integration, for a price, though this system died out when it was made illegal. The Italians tended to group themselves with others from the same Italian region. With little English, and few valuable skills, Italians made little money, and couldn’t afford decent housing, making their neighborhoods cramped and unhealthy. Large amounts of crime fed stereotypes of the Mafia, and the Black Hand. These led to greater mistrust from some natives, though others disagreed. Though most Italian males were laborers, some found other work as entertainers, municipal workers, and small business owners. Over time, Italians, and especially women, also branched out into the garment industry. Their willingness to accept bad conditions and low pay, and their inexperience with unions, gave them not entirely unfounded reputations as strikebreakers and scabs, making them unpopular with other workers. Italian women tended to be part of families, and if they were single, they were expected to join one as soon as possible, and retire from public life. However, as most Italian families lived below the poverty line, daughters and wives often took jobs to support their families when their husbands experienced lulls. Young single women found work in factories, and married ones often worked at home, often with the help of their children. Families made additional funds by taking on borders. Though men’s jobs were often exhausting, the women suffered as well, in dark, dangerous and dirty workshops and factories. By the Great War, many Italians had successfully climbed the societal ladder, and were beginning to find better work. The children of immigrants understood American language and culture, and they were able to find skilled labor. They had also had access to American public schools. However, many parents felt that schools interfered with the family structure, and saw more benefit from their children as wage earners. Thus, though the second generation had more schooling their predecessors, they were far less educated then, for example, the Jews. By the early 20th century, many Italians began to join the Jews in the labor unions. This was not true everywhere, and Italian scabs and Italian union workers often stood on opposite sides of the picket line. Italian men, with their unskilled and temporary jobs, were slower to unionize in the women, though some did form. By World War 1, an Italian middle class had begun to form, though it was not a majority. Shop keepers, white collar workers, and even some professionals, began to move to make more money, and find better housing. Italians were less likely to be involved in politics, because they had little experience with democracy. They also experienced discrimination from the Irish, and since they dominated Tammany Hall, Italians were more likely vote republican. By the turn of the century, Tammany stepped up its efforts, leading to a number of Italian Democrats. Many Italians were also attracted to socialist organizations. However, despite some political success, few Italians turned out to vote before World War 1. Though Italians distrusted settlements houses, ethnic organizations achieved great popularity and success. These groups helped to support and Americanize recent immigrants. Mutual aid groups, which provided emergency funds, insurance, and community, were also common. Successful men also formed groups of Prominenti. Many Italian newspapers emerged as well, and some achieved great success. Though most Italians were Catholic, the primarily Irish catholic community of New York was very different from what they were used to. The Irish clergy saw Italian Catholics as superstitious, primitive, and lazy, and Italian services were usually relegated to church basements. It was true that most Italians, especially men, were infrequent churchgoers. In Italy, they had seen the church as primarily a social institution, but in new York, it had a huge amount of competition. Most Italian men came only to major holidays, weddings and funerals. This led to conversion attempts by Protestant groups, which had some success. Over time, the Irish and the Italians grew to accept each other, and by 1911, many Italian catholic churches had taken root. In certain areas, churches became the centers of their communities. Festas, large holy festivals, were one of the most important religious events for Italian Catholics. Though New York’s Italian population gradually trended towards Americanization, they remained a close community well into the 20thy century.
