Early Arrivals  | Italian  | Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History  | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress  | Library of Congress (2024)

FAQs

What artifacts did Italian immigrants bring to America? ›

These immigrants were coming to established towns, so they did not have to bring as much as the early colonists. They brought the clothes they wore, essential cooking and craft tools, and religious items. Maria Rosa Marcella brought her embroidered trousseau linens, Margherita Vergnani her treasured pasta roller.

Italian emigration was fueled by dire poverty. Life in Southern Italy, including the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, offered landless peasants little more than hardship, exploitation, and violence. Even the soil was poor, yielding little, while malnutrition and disease were widespread.

A small wave of Protestants, known as Waldensians, who were of French and northern Italian heritage (specifically Piedmontese), occurred during the 17th century. The first Waldensians began arriving around 1640, with the majority coming between 1654 and 1663.

Arrival and Inspection

The ship's manifest log, initially filled out at the ship's port of departure, contained the immigrant's name and answers to 29 questions. This document was used by the legal inspectors at Ellis Island to cross-examine during the legal inspection.

The first sizable Italian immigration to North America involved certain religious refugees, the Waldensians, who migrated from Holland in 1657. About 167 Waldensians were brought over and settled in New Castle, Delaware, as well as in New Amsterdam.

Immigrants from Italy who made the voyage were forced to pack their previous lives in the small confines of a trunk. The few personal articles they managed to bring with them included clothing, religious objects, family photos, cooking utensils, and other personal effects.

People from Sicily consider themselves Sicilians first and Italians second. Although Sicily is a part of Italy, the region has its own culture, traditions and dialect. Due to this, Sicilians are incredibly proud of their heritage.

While Sicily is technically a part of Italy, there are some pretty big differences between the two. For one, Sicily is its own autonomous region with its own unique culture and history. And, of course, the food is different too!

Today, it is in north-west Sicily, around Trapani, Palermo and Agrigento where Norman Y-DNA is the most common, with 8% to 20% of the lineages belonging to haplogroup I1. Ancient and medieval Greek genetic paternal legacy is estimated at 37% in Sicily, and Arab-Berber (Ifriqiya) between 0% and 7,5%.

When did Chinese immigrants begin to come to the US? Chinese immigration can be divided into three periods: 1849-1882, 1882-1965, and 1965 to the present. The first period began shortly after the California Gold Rush and ended abruptly with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

When did Germans come to America? ›

The first significant groups of German immigrants arrived in the British colonies in the 1670s, and they settled primarily in the colonial states of Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia.

Italian immigrants began arriving in large numbers in the late 1800s as relatively unskilled labor that helped fuel a booming industrial economy.

Ellis Island doctors were particularly watching for signs of contagious diseases like trachoma, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and other states of health such as poor physique, pregnancy and mental disability.

Immigrants arriving in the US on Ellis Island had their eyelids checked for trachoma using a buttonhook (a tool used to fasten tight buttons) – they often warned each other to 'beware the buttonhook men'.

Since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1998, Ellis Island, which is federal property, belongs within the territorial jurisdiction of both New York and New Jersey depending upon where you are.

From the moment Italian immigrants arrived on American shores, they became pioneers, establishing businesses, introducing new customs, languages, and music. They quickly integrated into American society, opening restaurants, starting newspapers, and making invaluable contributions to their communities.

The Italian community has often been characterized by strong ties to family, the Roman Catholic Church, fraternal organizations, and political parties. The children of these immigrants did not simply melt into a hom*ogenous stew of Americanism; they created a lively ethnic community that helped shape mainstream culture.

Foods and holidays like sauerkraut, corned beef and cabbage, St. Patrick's Day, and Halloween are examples of traditions that have changed because of immigration for their home countries.