>From the March Issue of Virtual Italia.Com.(Hyperlink at bottom).
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THE ITALIAN IMMIGRANT IN AMERICA
DREAMS AND THE HARSH REALITIES 
By Deborah K. Millemaci

... The Italian immigrants that landed on the shores of America endured 
numerous injustices, but these never hampered the Italians' determination and 
spirit. 

As with other immigrants, the Italian people came to America with aspirations 
of how dramatically their lives would change once they set foot on American 
soil. They were under the impression they would be entitled to steady work 
and pay, abundance of food and improved housing, their own land, and a 
government which offered freedom to its people. The Italians, many of whom 
were from the southern areas of Italy, were leaving their homeland to escape 
the severe and deteriorating economic conditions of that time. Little did 
they realize the travesties they would be subjected to. 

Differences in religious beliefs, the language barrier, customs and 
traditions, discrimination, labor abuses, and deplorable living conditions, 
which resulted in numerous health problems, were all contributing factors 
which hampered the Italian immigrants' adjustment in the new world. 

Italians coming to the new world were primarily of the Roman Catholic faith. 
They entered a country in which the people were predominately Protestant. 
Even within their own religion, Italians faced prejudice from the 
Irish-dominated Catholic Church. (1) The Italians brought their own version 
of Catholicism to America, and the Irish perceived the Italians as ignorant 
and superstitutious, while the Italians believed the Irish to be fanatical. 
The Italian people believed that a saint's feast day should be commemorated 
by holdings festivals which consisted of music, food, dancing, and fireworks. 

To the Italians, this was their way of praying. These "rituals" annoyed the 
Irish who were more strict and self-sacrificing. Overcoming the language 
barrier was a difficult obstacle for the Italian immigrant. Many people 
assumed the Italian immigrant was illiterate because he did not have the 
forethought to learn English before coming to America. The only person the 
newly arriving Italian immigrant communicated with was the "Padrone" who was 
a man who spoke English and Italian, and whose job it was to recruit the new 
Italian immigrants to work. 

This problem was especially difficult for the "more professional" worker, the 
barber, the tailor, and the shoemaker. Until they were able to have a basic 
knowledge of the English language, communication with others proved to be 
difficult. Adherence to Old World customs created hindrances for the Italian 
immigrant. The infrequent availability of work put a great strain on the 
immigrant family as a whole. This subsequently caused the immigrant wife to 
seek work where previously, she rarely ventured out of the home. This became 
a difficulty for the Italian male immigrant, because he, as the breadwinner, 
was now forced to stay at home and care for the children, and to him this was 
a form of dishonor and shame. 

Many times, due to lack of work within his own community, the Italian 
immigrant was forced to travel long distances for employment, and these 
separations eventually strained the immigrant family as a whole. The 
"Americans" already settled in this country also made it extremely 
distressing for the Italian immigrant to socially and politically blend into 
society by openly exhibiting their hostility and hatred toward them. The 
Americans, unable to understand the differences in religious beliefs and 
customs, considered the Italian more of a liability than an asset to their 
community. As a result of this hostility toward them, the Italian immigrant 
became increasingly suspicious and distrusting against any outsider, and 
eventually regressed deeper into his own circle within his community. 

(2) Upon entry into the new world, Italian immigrants were made to feel 
unwelcome as they were greeted with numerous discriminations. The American 
press printed cruel and biased remarks in their descriptions of Italian 
immigrants. Italians were labeled as ignorant, poor, unskilled and lazy. 
References often linking Italians to the Mafia were also included in these 
articles, and the Italian was portrayed only in the negative. (3) This caused 
residents in the community to view the Italian immigrant as a threat to their 
social and economic status. They saw Italian immigrants as inferior, 
illiterate, dirty, lazy, and unable to contribute positively to society. 

Racism was another discrimination which plagued the Italian immigrant. 
According to Michael Novak, "Italians, along with other immigrants, were 
victims of the 'white racism' of that time--they were portrayed as socially 
disorganized and lacking in freedom and responsibility. Italians were also 
viewed as swarthy, unstable Mediterraneans, and part of a papist plot to 
control America." (4) Labor abuses also caused hardships for the Italian 
immigrant. Hours were long and wages were low. Italian immigrants were forced 
to work in severe weather conditions, and many of them lived in unsanitary 
labor camps, which consisted of run-down shacks or railroad cars. Most of the 
time they were made to sleep on cold, damp floors. 

"Many people were under the misconception that an Italian possessed only 
limited abilities for unskilled labor. If only inquiries had been made! 
People would have seen the Italian worker as highly intelligent, perceptive, 
and endowed with many occupational skills." (5) On the average, the unskilled 
laborer worked only a few months of the year, due to more workers than jobs 
available. It was also difficult to stretch such low wages to cover the 
expenses of the large Italian families. 

Overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions were contributing elements to 
illnesses of the Italian immigrant. Living conditions often consisted of 
unused storage areas and run-down abandoned buildings. In the 1880's, 
Buffalo, New York, once a prospering, thriving city, experienced the closing 
of many businesses, dropping of real estate prices and the moving of Italian 
immigrants into run-down homes that previously belonged to the Irish. (6) 
Many of the dwellings the Italians used as their living quarters were small 
in size, and it was not unusual for entire families to live in just one room. 
These "living quarters" lacked the warmth needed in the winter and coolness 
and proper ventilation needed in the summer. 

The Italian immigrant thus fell victim to numerous health problems as a 
result of these conditions. At that time, tuberculosis was the most prevalent 
disease that afflicted the Italian immigrant. Italian women were particularly 
susceptible to illness. In the summer, the heat was stifling and often living 
areas lacked windows, and in the winter, heat was rarely available. As a 
result, Italian women developed serious health problems such as anemia, 
various stomach disorders, and a condition known as "chlorosis," or 
"greensickness," which was an iron-deficiency anemia characterized by a 
greenish cast of the skin, frequently found in young girls. This was a 
contributing factor to the high mortality rate of the Italian immigrants' 
children. Furthermore, children were highly susceptible to rickets and 
tuberculosis, resulting from improper nursing, lack of air and overcrowded 
conditions. And the harsh winters afflicted the children with bronchial 
ailments and, many times, pneumonia. Deadly infantile cholera was prevalent 
and took its toll among the children in the stifling summer. 

(7) By subjecting Italian immigrants to these oppressions, it's not 
surprising they felt compelled to regress and stay within the confines of 
their own tight-knit little "community," where religious beliefs, language, 
and customs would not be scrutinized or challenged. They also felt safe and 
secure living in an area shared with other Italian immigrants. They turned to 
those within their own community for understanding and consolation to help 
them contend with and overcome the inhuman cruelties that embraced them upon 
their arrival to America, where they were led to believe that "All Men Are 
Created Equal." 
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Giordano, Joseph ed. "Italian-American Catalog," Garden City, New York: 
Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1986 p173. 
Johnson, Leahy Coleen. "Growing Up and Old In Italian-American Families." New 
Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1985, p223. 
Tomasi, Lydio F. "The Italian In America - A Progressive View 1891-1914." 
Staten Island, New York: Center for Migration Studies, 1978, p123. 
Giordano, Joseph op. cit, p173. 
Musmanno, Michael Angelo. "The Story of Italians in America. Vol.2 of Your 
Ancestor Series." Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc., 1965, p133. 
Yans-McLaughlin, Virginia. "Family and Community: Italian Immigrants in 
Buffalo," 1880-1930. Virginia Yans-McLaughlin. Ithaca, NY: Cornell U. Press, 
1977, p117. 
Tomasi, Lydio F. op. cit, p164. 
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