ChloeLarson

11/17/15

FromSouthernItalytoSanDiego

Poverty,overpopulation,andnaturaldisasterallspurredItalianemigration.Intotal,over
fourmillionItaliansimmigratedtotheU.Sbetween1880and1920,thisismorethaninany
othercountryinsuchashorttimeperiod.Italianswerenoteagertoleavetheirhomecountry,
manyendedupleavingwiththeintentionofmakingenoughmoneytothentravelbackhome
whentheyhadenoughtoaffordland.Theylovedtheircultureandtraditionsbutmany
challengesforcedthemtomakeadifficultdecision:immigratingtotheUnitedStates.

Italianswerefacingmanyreasonstomigratehowever,politicalandeconomicchallenges
causedbytheUnificationofItalywasoneofthegreatestinfluences.Before1871,Italywas
madeupofmanysmallercountriesandtheyallcametogetherasoneduringtheunification
process.Manywerenotpleasedwiththisnewchange,itwasonlyprovingbeneficialforthe
northandduetothis,thenumberofItaliansimmigratingtotheUnitedStatesspiked.Changes
wereimplementedlikeincreasedtaxes,buttheeconomydidnotimproveatall.Infact,following
theunificationofItaly,conditionsworsened,especiallyforthesouth.InNorthernItalymost
citizenswerewealthyandtheircommunitiesmodernandindustrializedwhereasincomparison,
SouthernItalywasworndownanditsresidentswerefacingextremepoverty.1

"Italian Immigrant Experience in America." 99.03.06: The Italian Immigrant Experience in America
(1870-1920). N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
1

Oneoftheissuescausingthisextremepovertyinthesouth,sparkedfromItaly's
unification,wastheseriouslackofjobopportunitiesorwaystosupporttheirfamilies.Formany,
agriculturewastheirlifestyleandsolewayofearningfunds.However,thelandwasnotirrigated
orlookedafterproperly,treeswerenotplantedtopreventfloodsandthepriceforlandorrent
wasextremelyhigh.Ontopofthistheylackedthemoderntechnologynecessarytocareforit
themselvesandwithoutotherjobopportunitiestheycouldnotaffordanynewertoolstoimprove
theland.Therefore,resourceswerescarceandthousandswereleftwithoutanymoneyforeven
basicnecessities.Withoutanywaytomakealiving,manyItaliansfacedpoorhousing,lackof
medicalcareandnearstarvation,allofthisencouragingthemtoleavetheirhome.2

Duetotheunificationleavingmanywithoutjobs,peasantshadtoliveoffthelittlefood
andwatertheycouldfindorafford,whichwasoftenlowqualityandthiscausedillnessesand
potentiallyfataldiseasestospreadrapidly.Mortalityrateswerehighandpoorsanitationalong
withbadwaterresultedincholera,adiseasecausedbyaninfectionofthesmallintestine.What
happensisthediseasedoesntallowwaterorsalttobeabsorbedintheintestinesand
frighteningly,deathcanoccurwithinhours.Thismajorcholeraepidemictookthelivesofat
leastfiftyfivethousandpeople.ItwasnottheonlydiseasetoreachmanyoftheItalians
however,malaria,oneoftheoldestdiseasesknowntomankind,expandedrapidlyacrossthe
countryaswell.Thespreadofthesediseasesalongwiththelackofqualityfoodcausedalotof
deathsandinstilledfearamongtheItalians.3

"From Europe to America: Immigration Through Family Tales." History of Italian Immigration. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
2

"Plagues and Diseases." Plagues and Diseases. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

Ontopofthehighmortalityfromillness,anextremenaturaldisasterstruckSouthern
Italy,addingtothemanyfactorsthatpushedItalianstoleavetheircountryandbecamethelast
strawfortheseimmigrants.Mt.Etna,avolcanoinItaly,eruptedatthesametimeanearthquake
andtidalwavestruckthecityofMessina.Thesenaturaldisastersresultedinthedeathsofmore
thanonehundredthousandItalians.Peopleweredevastated,asmanylosttheirhomesorfamily
membersandhadnomoneytorecover.Thingswereonlygettingworseandthiswasjustanother
exampleofthat.Peoplefelttheironlychoicewastoleavetheirhomesandseekrefugeinanother
country.TheytookwhatlittletheyhadleftandheadedtoAmerica.4

TogettoAmerica,ItalianshadtocrosstheAtlantic,thelongtripacrossthisoceanwas
greatlyimprovedinthe1870sduetolargerships/steampoweredvessels.Thejourneywas
shorterforthosewhocrossedafter1870,itusedtotakeapproximatelyfortydaysbutby1900it
onlytookaboutaweek.AlongthisjourneyItaliansfromalloverItalywerethrowntogetherin
closequarters,forcingeventhenortherners,wholookeddownonthesoutherners,toconnectand
communicatewithoneanotherovertheirsharedexperience.Thisgaveimmigrants,evenones
travellingalone,peopletoconnectandsharetheirfearswith.Theywerenolongerontheirown
becauseotherswereexperiencingthesamething,thisalongwiththenewtechnologymadethe
journeyalittlelessunbearable.5

"Digital History." Digital History. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

" From Europe to America: Immigration Through Family Tales." History of Italian Immigration. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
4
5

Startingin1892,beforetheimmigrantscouldofficiallybegintheirlivesinAmerica,
aboutthreefourthsofthemhadtostopinNewYorkandgothroughtheEllisIslandimmigration
station.ANewYorkStatequarantineinspectorcameaboardtheirshipassoonasitarrivedin
Americatoinspectandapprovedthepassengers.Immigrantschecktheirbelongingsinabaggage
room,andaslongastheydidntappeartohaveanysignsofmentalorphysicaldisabilities,they
wentontobequestionedbyotherinspectors.Intotal,theprocesstookaboutthreehoursonlyif
therewasaproblemcouldittakelonger.Eventhoughitwasaquickprocess,immigrantswere
stillveryfearfulgoingintoitforthesmallchanceofbeingsenthomeornotallowedinto
America.6

OncetheyarrivedintheUnitedStates,morethan90%oftheItalianimmigrantssettled
inurbanareas,andspecificallyjustelevendifferentstates.Alotoftheimmigrantslefttheir
familiesbehindwiththegoalofcomingtoAmerica,wherethewageswerehigher,andthen
returntoItalywithenoughmoneysavedupsothattheycouldaffordtopurchaseland.Itwas
veryappealingtothemthattheycouldcometotheUnitedStates,findemploymentfairlyquickly
andmakeenoughmoneytoreturnwithorsendhometoItaly.7 Youngimmigrantssentbytheir
familieslivedascheaplyaspossibletoincreasetheirsavingsandsendmorebacktotheir
families.OthersplannedtohavetheirfamiliesjointheminAmericaassoonastheycould.Even
thoughmanymencametoAmericaalonewiththegoalofgoingbacktoItaly,abouthalfended
upstayingandcontinuingtowork.Immigrantschosetomigratetocitieswherelaborwasneeded

"From Europe to America: Immigration Through Family Tales." History of Italian Immigration. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
7
"Immigration Library." Immigration Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
6

andwageswereespeciallyhigh,andoncetheyarrivedtheysleptincramped,overcrowded
roomsforonlycentsanightinordertosaveupmoremoney.8

Outofthoseelevenstates,manyendedupsettlinginareasofCalifornia,includingSan
Diego.Theyweredrawnhereforvariousreasons,includingtheweather,butthemajoritywere
fishermanlookingfornewopportunitiesinthefishingindustry.Atonepointthefishermanin
SanFranciscowereprovidingninetypercentofallfishconsumedthere,howevertheearthquake
andfiresin1906pushedmanytoabandonthebayareaandheadsouthtoSanDiego,increasing
thepopulationofItalianfishermanhere.Bytheearlyforties,thefishingcommunityhad
expandedevenfurtherandthousandsofItalianfamilieswerelivinginSanDiego,many
specificallyinSanDiegosownLittleItaly.9

LittleItalysformednotonlyinSanDiegobutinmanyareasacrossAmericaandwasa
wayforotherItalianstocometogetherandkeepuptheirtraditionsandlifestyles.Itisoneofthe
thingsthatshowedhowmuchtheItaliansfeltanattachmenttoandcareddeeplyfortheirhome
countrybutsimplyfacedtoomanyeconomicandenvironmentalchallengestostaythere.The
journeywasnoteasy,immigrantshadmanyfearsalongthewaybutoveralltheynever
outweighedthepovertyanddifficultiesbackhome.OnceinAmerica,Italianimmigrantsbrought
manyoftheirfoodsandtraditionsalongwiththemtothecommunitiesandhomesthey
developedhere.ItissafetosaythattheItalianshavebecomememberstheSanDiego
communityandmanyothersacrossAmerica.Theyhaveworkedhard,overcomeobstaclesand
"Italian Immigrant Experience in America." 99.03.06: The Italian Immigrant Experience in America
(1870-1920). N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
9
"Fishermen of San Diego." Fishermen of San Diego. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
8

madethemselvesnotonlywelcomebutamajorpartinourcommunityandcountry.Whilethe
Italianshavebecomeawelcomepartofsociety,otherimmigrantgroups,likeMexican
immigrants,arestillworkinghardtowardsthisinclusionandacceptanceinAmerica.Weshould
allputthoughtintowhysocietyhasacceptedtheItaliansasAmericancitizenswhileother
groupsarestillfightingandstrugglingtobetreatedthisway.