Italian Immigration in the 1900s

Introduction

Between 1880 and 1920, four million Italian immigrants traveled the Atlantic to the United States. More Italians have migrated to the United States, then any other Europeans. These Italians came in search of the "American Dream". They are looking for life that they could never within the poverty of Italy. Poverty, overpopulation, and natural disasters were all the problems in Italy. This led to the Italians for employment in America to save his family from poverty.

In the early 1900's, Italy suffered many problems. Illiteracy in southern Italy was 70%, ten times worse than England, France and Germany. Northerners dominate the Italian government, so the South has suffered from high taxes and high protective tariffs on northern industrial goods. South also suffers from a lack of arable land, soil erosion and deforestation, and lack of coal and iron ore needed for the industry. In addition, the landlords had control over land and they charged high rents are paid low wages, and do not provide stable employment. Between 1870 and 1900 the production of food products, excluding fresh fruit, fish, tomatoes and vegetables, has slowed. Thus, malnutrition is spreading throughout Italy. Italy has also suffered from natural disasters. Vesuvius erupted and buried the town near Naples, Etna and also broke. In 1908, an earthquake and tidal wave swept through Italy, killing more than 100.000 people in the city of Messina alone. By the beginning of World War 1, Italy lost 500,000 people a year to emigration.

Main body

Italians began migrating to other countries in the 19 century. During this time, more Italians migrated to South America then North America. Mass migration to the United States began in 1872, but a substantial Italian immigration to the United States noted that between 1884 and 1920, when around 7 million Italians came. Most Italian immigrants set out from southern Italy and landed in New York. Italian arrivals increased by chain migration, which is the process by which immigrants arriving in America acted as the personal work of agents and told his family and friends when and where jobs were available. Nevertheless, most Italians do not plan to stay in the U.S. on a permanent basis. For this reason they were called "birds". Most immigrants were young men there twenties, who planned to work, earn money and return home. They left their parents, wives and children at his home in Italy. In the early 1900's, 78% of Italian immigrants were men and about 25% of them returned to Italy permanently.

Early Italian immigrants were prominent fruit traders in New York, and growers in California. Italians do not want to farm, instead they went to cities where labor was needed and wages were high. Italian immigrants lived as inexpensively possible under conditions that many considered inappropriate. Many Italians suffered heavy construction work. Half of the early Italian immigrants were manual laborers. They were hired by a captain, a professional labor broker, and dug tunnels, laid railroad tracks, constructed bridges and roads and helped build the ...