Part Two introduces the Italian immigrants who came to New York during the period before World War I. They compare these immigrants to their Jewish counterparts who came around the same time. Similar to the Jews, the Italian’s main motivation for coming to the US was to find a better life. What set them apart was their skill set. The Jews were generally more educated and had more employable skills. Many of them were also literate. The Italians, on the other hand, were mostly peasants. Another difference between these groups was their demographic. The Jews came mostly in family units whereas the Italians were mostly young men looking to make money to bring back to their families in Italy. It was not until later that their families came as well.
Italians concentrated in a few areas in the City for various reasons. The most famous of the Italian colonies was Little Italy in Lower Manhattan. Other areas with large concentrations of Italians included Greenwich Village, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and even parts of Harlem. The patterns of settlement were highly dependent on where they found work. Many of the young Italian men did manual labor in construction. There were a lot of big building projects in progress during this time and they tended to settle nearby. The settlement in the Bronx was due to the prosperous real estate market. Another factor that contributed to settlement were the labor contractors. They made deals with laborers and set them up with a place to live. There was a general pattern of people from the same region/town of Italy living very close to each other.
Like most other immigrant groups, the housing conditions were often crowded and dirty. This was no exception. for the Italians. They were arriving off the boats with few possessions and almost no money. It took time before they made enough money to support themselves. The result of this was slums. The Italians initially took over tenements that were previously inhabited by Irish immigrants. Because these homes had been abandoned for a while they were in very poor condition. The housing in East Harlem was especially poor. Jacob Riis took many pictures of these types of situations and revealed this issue to the public.
Crime was also an issue among the Italians. They struggled with juvenile delinquency as well as the Mafia. There was a large scale migration of Mafia members came from Sicily. They maintained their connections with the Mafia in Italy. These types of practices contributed to the anti-immigrant sentiment at this time.
Aside from the the poorer Italians who accepted the physically demanding and low paying jobs some were able to pick up trades or get a job on municipal payroll like in sanitation. Some of these trade jobs include, shoemakers, masons, waiters, and even musicians. Another big employer for Italians was the garment business. Unlike some other immigrant groups the Italian were very eager workers and rarely went on strike. They took whatever work they could find.
Italian women also played a roll. Often they were required to work as well o support their families. Most of them worked in the garment business. Young girls also played a roll in the home taking care of their younger siblings while their parents worked. Much of the time parents did not allow their children to go to school. They were distrustful of the American public school system. This created a problem for second generations in advancing in society. Some people were able to score white collar jobs. Some went into banking, real estate, and newspapers.
The Italian’s role in politics is also an important thing to consider. They formed their own political groups and some managed to get positions as politicians. One of the more successful individuals was Fiorello La Guardia. Some of the groups that formed were called Brooklyn’s Club Avanti and the Italian Socialist Federation. Some other organizations formed to help the newcomers adjust as well. One was called the Society for the Protection of Italian Immigrants.
The last thing to consider it how the Italians practiced religion. In Italy, they were surrounded by only Catholics but when they came to New York they suddenly became the minority. They came to distrust the church in America.
Overall the Italians were a very tightly knit community and supported each other in their journey to America. They eventually made their way and many were successful in finding a better life.
