Italian American Immigrant Essay Example for Free

Italian American Immigrant Essay Many Italians migrated to United States as early as 1848. They migrated in small numbers due to revolutionary movement’s failure that occurred in Italy. Most of the Italians migrated to America between 1880 and 1960s. These Italians came from Sicily and Southern Italy. They had very little knowledge in education and were poor. Majority of these immigrants were men. The poor economy that existed in Italy at that time contributed a great deal to the migration of Italians. Italians upon reaching America used to settle in specific places. One of the regions that were dominated by Italians was nick named ‘Little Italy’. In ‘Little Italy’ the Italians there had good relations and interactions with each other. They enjoyed cooking their favorite foods that were quite different from what American citizens cooked. Italian’s food was richly spiced compared to that cooked by American Citizens. These included spiced sausages and Zeppole. Italian immigrants formed a common culture in ‘Little Italy’. Italian immigrants normally had very little money and very minimal sophistication. Most of the Italian neighborhoods were dominated by slums. The sanitation in the neighborhood was quite poor and un-admirable. Many of them suffered from many ailments due to the poor sanitation and overcrowding. During World War I it was difficult for Italians to migrate to United States. These Italian immigrants faced much discrimination based on their religion. Many of them were lynched. Five point three million Italians had moved to United States by the year 1978. Some of the Italian immigrants never intended to stay there for a long time. They just wanted to make money and then go back to their mother nation. Research however shows that only one Italian among four would manage to return to the home country. Many of the public schools in United States gave Italian immigrants children a new language to speak. The children found that the patriotic symbols differed from those in their home country. Some of them were even given new names that were Anglicized. This created a very big gap in the culture of Italian children compared to the culture embraced by their parents. With time many labor unions incorporated the Italian immigrants. This gave Italian immigrants a chance to get experience and therefore advanced their carriers. With time Italian –American immigrants started owning businesses. Some of them even became managers in industries and Companies in United States. Some of them like Enrico Caruso became artists. Culture A close looks at Italian –American Immigrants shows that they still hold onto their culture. This is clearly seen in the food that they eat. They still cook Italian food. Their food is very rich in spices compared to the food that is cooked in United States of America. This includes their Italian drinks which are still preferred by many Italian-American Immigrants. They still hold onto Italian art that is quite beautiful. Italian –American immigrants still hold their feasts that are really rich in their culture. Unlike Americans they are quite committed to their members of the extended families. They include cousins, uncles, grandparents and parents in laws etc. In these extended relations they include business relations which bond them together. In fact they marry their close relatives like first cousins. They are very committed to their families. During 1940s Italian –American immigrants had very big impacts to music industry in United States. This was also witnessed in the year 1970. They also had big influence to movies that were featured in United States. This was mostly common in movies that were culture based. It was quite evident because Italian words were incorporated in communication of the characters. However many of the characters were not always in a position to speak the language very fluently. This language has also been incorporated by television presenters in America. One thing that really amazes about Italian immigrant’s culture is their feasts. They were often carried out in ‘Little Italy’. These feasts include Our Lady of Mount Carmel ‘Giglio’ which is commonly celebrated in Williamsburg New York. This feast has been celebrated for more than one hundred and twenty five years in New Jersey. It is normally celebrated annually. There is also the San Gennaro feast that is usually held in New York. Another feast is known as St Joseph’s feast. These Italian feasts are very funny. They have displays on devotion that is done to patron saints and to God. The feasts are quite Italian based since they show their life approach. In the feasts communal meals are taken. They also include religious services. Others also incorporate games known as games of chance. These feasts give people the opportunity to show off their skills and prowess in various sectors like dancing. There are different statutes that are used in these feasts. Different kinds of jewels are normally shown off in these feasts. In fact in communities where they are practiced, they are taken very seriously. These feasts or celebrations take quite a long period of time like several days. The church community is the one that is responsible for the preparation of these feasts. These preparations take several months for all plans to be in order. Research shows that approximately three hundred Italian feasts are celebrated in United States. Millions of Americans from diverse backgrounds normally attend these feasts. In fact many of them concur that they enjoy Italian food. Religion Research shows that many Italian immigrants were Christians of catholic denomination when they were still in Italy. When these Italians migrated to United States, they even became more devout. This was quite evident even in their communication with friends, coworkers and employers. They introduced themselves as Catholics. This shows that they were very religious and a God fearing people. However there are also religious minorities that exist in Italy. They include Italian Jews, Greek Orthodox and also Greek Catholics. Even the celebrations that are carried out show their religion. An example is that which is celebrated on 19th March every year. This is called Saint Joseph’s day which includes parades. There is also Columbus Day that is also enjoyed by many Italian immigrants staying in United States. There is St. Januaris that is celebrated on 19th September. Many immigrants from Sicily celebrate Santa Rosalia on 4th of September every year. Saint Rocco’s is celebrated by immigrants who originated from Italy in a place known as Potenza. Most of Italian immigrants do celebrate the famous Christmas season. The Feast of the seven fishes is also included in their celebrations. Research shows that some of the Irish and German Catholic leaders discriminated against some of the Italian American Catholics. This forced them to leave the Catholic Church and join Episcopal. Current research carried out in United States shows that there are Italian-American immigrants that are not Catholics. In fact many of them have joined the Episcopal Church. Most of the immigrants claim there are many similarities between the two churches. There are also a number of immigrants that changed from catholic to Baptist church. This was accelerated by influence of neighborhood who attended the Baptist church.