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Sample Student
final answers 2013 (2013 final exam assignment) #1: Research Reports |
LITR 4333
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Marissa Turner
Birds of Passage
One can say that America has been built by immigrants. That
is what makes us who we are as a country today. Among the wide variety of
immigrants there is a large history of Italian Immigration. For instance,
immigrants from Italy are what created my family here in America. The following
paragraphs will discuss a brief history of the immigration process and what life
was like for an Italian immigrant and their families both, before they left
Italy and after they arrived in America. They will also describe the issues and
discrimination that they faced and still may face today. Using the information
that I previously had and the information that I have learned due to my
research, I will also provide an explanation of how I can apply it to my future
as both an American and a teacher.
Before making the journey to America,
natives of Italy were dealing with many factors that were persuading them to
come. A main reason was because of the poverty levels and there was little they
could do in order to obtain aid. What is now known as southern Italy was invaded
and taken control of by northern Italy during the 1860’s which in turn caused a
ten year civil war (www.italiamerica.org
). People were killed and
robbed, causing an economic depression for the south. The government now
controlled the Italians’ employment and ownership of property. The northerners
raised taxes, leading to a steeper rise in economic depression for the south.
In America, there is and was opportunity for growth; there was none in
Italy at the time for the average and poor individuals. There is no doubt that
southern Italy faced a higher extreme of poverty, although, the north was not
completely wealthy for that matter. “For 80% of Italians, agriculture was their
livelihood;” however, their tools were out of date, thus causing them to not
make as much money as individuals with advanced technology tools (www.mtholyoke.edu
). The north largely turned towards
industry, leaving the south behind because they lacked the materials that were
needed, such as “coal and iron” (www.italiamerica.org
). To make matters worse, the
agricultural crisis of the 19th century meant a fall in the “grain
prices and loss of markets for fruit and wine” (www.mtholyoke.edu
). Also the “disease,
Phylloxera, destroyed grape vines used to produce wine,” making American soil
look far more appealing in terms of finding a way to make ends meet (www.mtholyoke.edu
). During the 1970’s, Italy began to see an abundance
in there population. In history when population increases, it is a fact that
more money is required and more people are in need of employment (www.digitalhistory.uh.edu
). Sometimes there simply isn’t enough to go around, leaving many
to live in harsh conditions, having no running water or privacy in their
one-room homes. They felt they had to find a way to continue to support and
protect their families against the unfair political policies and government and
get them back on their feet as far as their poverty was concerned.
These matters were not the only aspects that
made immigration look more desirable for Italians; there was also the concern of
more disease and natural disasters. For instance, in southern Italy, there were
two volcanic eruptions in the early 1900’s, Mount Vesuvius, followed by Mount
Etna. Sadly, this was not the end of their worries. They then dealt with an
earthquake and a massive tidal wave in 1908 that killed “more than 100,000
people in the city of Messina alone” (www.digitalhistory.uh.edu
). Parts of Italy were said to have the highest instances of Malaria in Europe,
causing multiple deaths. Also, as the Cholera disease spread throughout Europe
between 1884 and 1887, people were taking careful precautions. This had a huge
effect on Italy as it was believed that one could catch the disease by drinking
the contaminated water or eating the fruits and vegetables (www.fusiafuscafamily.com
). Since no one wanted to eat the produce of the farmers, there was no market in
it, as mentioned previously, meaning there was a halt in income for some
families as well as many deaths. People were scared to catch the many different
diseases, and living in Italy was not as appealing as it once was. Natural
disaster is a sure fire way to create fear, and nobody wants to live with that
feeling. So the logical thing to do at the time was to escape and find a new
place to call home for the time being.
For Italians the only guarantee they had was
their families so they kept them quite close and stayed devoted to them. I find
this fact to be true still today, as in my family; we look at each other as
“that is all we have, so we hold on tight,” as my mother would say. Even if
staying close actually meant that the dominant males or fathers would travel to
another country in order to support them through a higher wage job and sending
them the funds to live comfortably. Surprisingly, most Italian immigrants did
not in fact immigrate to the United States; the majority of them went to other
European countries and South America. The earliest immigrants from Italy to the
United States were mostly northern Italians who found work as “fruit merchants
in New York and grape growers in California” (www.digitalhistory.uh.edu).
Italians from the south, who were primarily farmers, immigrated to America a
short while later and actually did not wish to farm in America. Instead, they
sought out labor jobs that had a large increase in wages. Italian immigrants
were known as "Birds of Passage" because they came to
America knowing that eventually they would migrate back to their homeland.
However, this was not the case for all Italian immigrants; although, many of
them did end up returning to Italy with their families (www.italiamerica.org
). I found this information interesting because I
have never heard that term before. Also, because this is the case with my
family, the only difference is my grandmother moved back to Italy within the
last decade. She had lived in Houston and then California with her husband, and
only when he obtained a good job in Sicily, did they go back to Sicily. Now they
both only visit America about once a year as a vacation. This makes me think
that Italian immigrants still may fall under this “birds of passage” title.
Once the Italian immigrants were in America,
they faced many issues and were discriminated against. During the time when
there was a large wave of Italians trying to enter the workforce, Americans were
participating in a lot of strikes at their jobs; therefore, making a place for
willing Italians to obtain their empty positions. When the Americans realized
what was taking place they began to develop resentment towards them and started
calling them names such as “scabs,” “guineas” or “dagoes” (www.mtholyoke.edu
). The immigrants were the only ones willing to work alongside African Americans
and accepted lower wages than the Americans, thus, employers chose to keep them
even though they considered them the lowest rank because of their supposed
strength and size. For instance, “as early as 1890, 90 percent of New York
City's public works employees and 99 percent of Chicago's street workers were
Italian,” in my opinion, this just proves how dedicated they were to providing
for their families no matter what their own living and working conditions were (www.digitalhistory.uh.edu
). It was not until the 1920’s when Italian immigrants and their families even
started to obtain working positions other than laborers no matter how skilled or
educated they were (www.mtholyoke.edu).
They were perceived as dumb, poor, and inferior which in turn, caused them to
learn to hide who they were. They learned how to assimilate to the American
culture while still holding on to their strong sense of pride and identity. They
took pieces from the American way of life and business and made it their own.
For example, they formed communities, created and opened their own businesses,
bought homes and even formed unions (www.italiamerica.org).
According to the facts and my grandmother, Italians made it a habit to buy from
other Italians whenever possible, which she did up until she moved back to
Italy. In San Diego, where my grandmother lived for many years, there was a
small community downtown known as Little Italy. It is sort of like what I
mentioned previously, and every time my mother and I would visit, my grandmother
would make certain to take us there to shop and buy Italian made groceries that
were not readily available elsewhere. Through the Italian immigrant’s struggles
and discrimination, they maintained their pride and determination. They made it
known that they are actually a smart, dedicated, prideful, moralized, family
oriented people, not to mention that they brought with them amazing music,
dance, and food that eventually took hold of Americas’ hearts.
Even though Italian immigrants and their
families have come a long way since the start of their journey, they still
continue to face prejudices and stereotypes today. Like many other types of
immigrants, Italians found a way up the social class ladder through crime. Even
in their native land, Italians had dealings with the mafia or gangs; only it was
not always seen as negative, as it helped many people out either politically,
physically or financially. So since it was not necessarily viewed as a violent
thing, but rather a way of life, the mafia also migrated to America. It was not
thought of as dangerous or violent until Hollywood and the media got ahold of
it. Now it is seen as a society of crime that gets away with almost everything,
as a killing and drug smuggling machine. The mafia initially settled in great
cities such as New York and Chicago where “there were opportunities for crime,
fraud and racketeering everywhere” and where their main purpose was protection (www.umich.edu).
However, when prohibition began, they took a large part in “gambling,
bootlegging and prostitution,” which brought them great wealth, hence Al Capone,
Carlo Gambino, and “Lucky” Luciano (www.umich.edu).
That was the time when most Italians were pretty much stereotyped to be
associated with the “mob” or at least as a crook. What is strange to me when I
think back about it now is that I have known about these “bosses” or “mobsters”
my whole life and I was never led to think of them in a negative light, even
after watching the movies portraying them. My grandmother would never say
anything bad about such things either until after she moved back to Sicily,
which she now says that the mafia is so bad over there and that they have
control over everything, even the trash in the streets. Over all, Italian
immigrants and their families, like many other immigrants, face a lot of
discrimination and negative stereotypes due to how the media portrays some of
them to be.
What many individuals forget or don’t take
into consideration about Italian immigration is that they also brought over with
them many influential people and ideas. As of now, Italian Americans make up the
“fifth largest ethnic group in the United States,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau” (www.niaf.org
). They include some of the best writers such as Don DeLillo, Jerre Mangione,
Frances Winwar, and Joseph Papaleo for example. They also have made a large
impact on American education through individuals such as Leonard Covello who
“was the first Italian American high school principal in New York City” and also
co-founded the American Italian Historical Association, and
A. Bartlett Giamatti who “became the youngest president of Yale
University in 200 years and the first president not entirely of Anglo Saxon
heritage,” (www.niaf.org
). America prides itself in its art, in which there have been several Italian
American influences and artists. To name a few does not even start the long
list; however, they include well-known names such as Robert De Niro, Frank
Sinatra, Costantino Brumidi, and Dominick Argento. The lists do not stop there;
there are many other Italian Americans who either are immigrants themselves or
descendants from immigrants that have influenced American sports, innovations,
government, entertainment, law enforcement, military, and history in general.
Another individual of great influence to mention last, however, certainly not
least, my grandmother, who was strong enough to raise a child alone and put
herself through college and law school. It takes someone wonderful, an Italian
immigrant, to motivate people that way she has done with me to push through
school and maintain high morals and ethics, and she has succeeded like many
others. It is clear that although immigrants from Italy may have started out at
the bottom of the totem pole and faced extreme treatment and circumstances, they
are a strong group of intellectual people and have a lot to offer society and
other cultures.
Studying and
researching the history behind Italian immigrants has raised my sense of pride
and opened my eyes to a piece of history that I never knew existed. I have
always believed that it is important to know where our families came from and
what they went through to get us to where we are today. This research assignment
has taught me many new aspects involving Italian immigrant history and culture
and also provided me a valuable and well appreciated discussion with my
grandmother and mother. Knowing this information is something that no one can
ever take away from me and that I can hold on to with pride. Since I will be
teaching a high school level English class, I plan on figuring out a way to
incorporate the histories behind our cultures and families into the curriculum.
I believe it is important to not only know our own, but also learn about others
because that is what America is, a mixture of different backgrounds. While I
understand that a lot of this can and will be taught through history classes
that the students take, I would love to make it more personal and fun for the
students. For example, I might assign a research project similar to this one in
which they push themselves to discover facts about their cultural history and
listen to family stories. Then I may allow them to create a PowerPoint
explaining their findings and stories or simply share them with the class
through discussion alone. Either way it would be beneficial for them to know the
backgrounds and it would also serve as a good writing assignment in which they
can become interested in since it would be relating to their selves. Hopefully I
can make at least one of them feel like they belong to something of importance
and be fulfilled.
Overall, Italian
immigrants have a rich, interesting history, well worth acknowledging. They have
gone through poverty, being controlled and endured natural disasters. Through
bravery they have also taken the journey to a new world: America and found new
ways to live and provide for their families, either with them or back home in
Italy. They know where they come from and allow nothing to stand in their way,
even low pay, violence, prejudices and hate. Their families mean the world to
them and as Italians; they will find a way to come out on top from assimilating
to the language to owning their own businesses. No matter how people view them,
as stupid, weak, or as criminals, they stick together and hold on to their
pride, proving to the rest of society that they are more than that. They are
educated, moralized, talented, extremely influential, and have a great story to
share.
Works Cited
Colella, Nicola. "Southern Italian Immigration." Italiamerica. Web. 05
Nov. 2013.
http://www.italiamerica.org/id49.htm.
"Historical Background." The Fusia/Fuscà Family. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.
http://fusiafuscafamily.com/family_history1.htm.
"History of Sicily and the Origins of the Mafia." UMICH. N.p., n.d. Web.
07 Dec. 2013.
http://www.umich.edu/~themafia/RevisedHistory.htm
.
"Italian American Contributions." The National Italian American Foundation.
NIAF Publications. Web. 07 Dec. 2013.
http://www.niaf.org/research/contribution.asp
.
"Italian Immigration." Digital History: Using New Technologies to Enhance
Teaching and
Research.
Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/italian_immigration.cfm.
Molnar, Alexandra. "From Europe to America: Immigration Through Family Tales."
History of Italian Immigration. 15 Dec. 2010. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~molna22a/classweb/politics/Italianhistory.html.
