Where did Italians live in America?
After their initial stop at Ellis Island, Italian immigrants settled in a lot of different parts of the United States. On the map below, the dark blue states are some of the states that had the highest numbers of Italian immigrants. Can you name these states? Do you know what the yellow star represents? Can you think of any reasons why the Italians chose certain states to live in instead of others?
The yellow star on the map above represents Ellis Island, New York (you can see the Statue of Liberty from this island). This is where most immigrants arrived off of big boats when they came to America. For many immigrants, Ellis Island was a symbol of hope for their new lives in this country. For some other immigrants and their families, Ellis Island brought sadness and defeat. New immigrants needed to be examined mostly for medical and legal reasons. Doctors were at Ellis Island to make sure they were healthy enough to work and free of any contagious diseases. Because of the extremely long and difficult process immigrants went through at Ellis Island (interviews, examinations, and questioning), a lot were turned away and unable to live in America.
What do you think would go through your mind if you were arriving at Ellis Island by boat like the Italians? You might not have any idea what you were going to do once you arrived in America. Imagine being scared and confused in a brand new place where you do not speak the language. Also, you probably would not be able to bring all of your things because the journey was so long. Click here for an interactive tour of Ellis Island to see what it was like for immigrants arriving to America! |
A lot of times, Italian immigrants chose to live in United States cities that were in similar geographic locations (relative to the country) to their homes in Italy. For example, if an Italian American was from Sicily (which is in the south of Italy), he or she might choose to live in Louisiana (which is a state in the south of the United States of America). In the same way, an Italian American from Bologna (which is in the northeast of Italy) might choose to live in New York or Massachusetts (which are states in the northeast of the United States of America).
In general, Italian immigrants chose to settle in cities, where they could make and save money quicker than if they worked on farms. Most Italian Americans thought they would only be in America for a very short period of time, so they wanted to make money quickly for their return to Italy. In reality, only a small percentage of Italian immigrants returned to Italy - most decided that their success in America was worth staying for!
In general, Italian immigrants chose to settle in cities, where they could make and save money quicker than if they worked on farms. Most Italian Americans thought they would only be in America for a very short period of time, so they wanted to make money quickly for their return to Italy. In reality, only a small percentage of Italian immigrants returned to Italy - most decided that their success in America was worth staying for!