From The Peopling of New York City
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World War I
During the World War I, many Italians theather groups performed Italian-American dramas in front of their countrymen. One of the most famous was the Gennaro Gardenia Company, which lasted for more than fourty years. [1]
Prohibition Act
With the passage of the Prohibition Act in 1920, Italian mobsters flourished. According to historian Mark Haller, New York City bootlegging was dominated by mainly by Jews and Italians. The Italians were involved in labor racketeering, especially along the Brooklyn waterfront. Gangsters there would engage in various criminal activities and kill criminal rivals and others who would not do their bidding. In return for favors, they would work with Tammany leaders to win elections. [pg 167 All nations]
Immigration Restriction Acts
The immigration restriction act of the 1920s reduced all eastern and southern European immigration. A quota was set so that only 2% of the number of the foreign-born people of that country that are currently in the United States, may enter annually. In actuality, the quota was set to limit undesirable immigrants because they were small in number and so the quota would leave them in smaller numbers. In the ten years following 1900, 200,000 Italians had immigrated to the United States annually. After the 1924 quota, only 4,000 were allowed each year. [pg 174 all nations]
Great Depression
The Great Depression affected Italian Americans more than other immigrant groups because they were dominate in the field of unskilled laborers in manufacturing and construction. In lower Manhattan’s Little Italy, 16.5 percent of the families had no adult wage earner in 1930. The end of the Great Depression came by the United States’ entrance into World War II. Several Italian aliens were rounded up by the FBI because of suspected connections to Moussolini’s organization. However, though Italian newspapers had supported Moussolini, their standing reversed after Pearl Harbor. They denounced the dictator and facism and supported the American military. The Columbus Day Rally was held by Italian-Americans to show their loyalty to President Roosevelt after American entry into the war.
Immigration Laws and Acts of 1965
The immigration laws and acts passed in 1965 helped the new Italian immigrants. It eliminated discriminatory national origins restrictions. Economic conditions in Italy, however, had improved and so pressure for immigration had decreased. Only 3000 Italians entered the United States annually. [pg 209 All Nations]
References
- ↑ Binder, Frederick, and David Reimers. All the Nations Under Heaven. Columbia UP, 1996. pg173
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