Many people were asked why did they immigrate to the United States and the reasons that were told were the United States is "the land of opportunity". When I sat down and asked my Grandmother why she and her family emigrated from Italy, the reason she gave me was that her mother, my great grandmother, said that the United States was "the land of opportunity" and that "the streets were paved with gold". I never understood what the United States had that Italy did not have until my grandmother explained to me the history behind the emigration.
My family is from Calabria, which they called the dry, rugged foot of the boot. This part of Italy was full of mountains that had a magnificent view but the farmland was not good at all. Many families as well as mine lived in the hill villages, from where they had to walk miles to the fields and orchards. During the twentieth century the south of Italy was very poor in its natural resources. Most of the land is farmed by the peasants as renters, sharecroppers, or farm laborers. Unemployment as well as underemployment was very common in the south of Italy where my family was from. Many people only got few weeks of work per year. For decades the population in these poor cites moved to the bigger cities in Italy but at the same time lacked industrial skills. Other Common Market members offered jobs to Italy’s unemployed annually as their flourishing industries outgrew there own work force. (Compton’s, 196)
When I asked my grandmother about the government when she was a child, she told me that she doesn’t remember much but at the same time she remembers what her parents thought of it. At the time when my great grandparents lived in Italy it was a fascist country. The depression after the war brought strikes and riots, and due to these things a new powerful leader was established. The leader was Benito Mussolini and he formed something called the Fascist party. Benito Mussolini had been successful in improving the Italian economy and bringing stability, as it was said, "He made the trains run on time" (by shooting someone if they didn't). His ambition was to regain for Italy the prestige and power. (Albrecht, 150) The Fascist party grew rapidly because he promised the people of Italy many things. The fascist movement in Italy was an impulsive movement of the public, with new leaders from the rank and file. It is a commoner movement foundation, directed and financed by big capitalist powers. It issued forth from the petty middle class, the slum proletariat, and even to a certain extent from the proletarian common people; Mussolini, a former socialist, is a 'self-made: man arising from this movement (Albrecht, 150).
My grandmother says that my great grandfather was a person who looked up to Mussolini and thought that he was this great man who was brought to this country to change it. My great grandfather looked up to Mussolini because we didn’t have much money in Italy and he promised better wages and job opportunities. In the year 1922, Mussolini was asked to form a government. When Mussolini started to govern Italy a fear came over my great grandparents because Mussolini took over everything and had total control over the country. This was a great scare because what if, Mussolini didn’t not follow through with his promises; what if he took total control and my great grandparents could not leave Italy.
My grandmother said that she was always told that Mussolini did miracles for Italy, that he made Italy what it is today. My grandmother still believes in this today, she feels that Italy is what it is today because of what Mussolini contributed to Italy. When my grandmother and I spoke about Mussolini she said to me that although Mussolini did bring many problems to Italy he made Italy what it is today. Mussolini brought Italy through wars and struggles and succeeded in many of his task as a leader. Even though many things that Mussolini promised did not fall through he was still looked at as a savor for their country.
In Italy there are many contemporary problems that existed. There were many problems that made my great grandmother and her family leave Italy. Poverty was a great problem within my family. My great grandfather was an ice man and what he did was deliver ice. This would have been a suitable job for a small family but the main problem was there were too many kids to support. At the time when my great grandparents lived there it was a very poor country and jobs were scarce, and education was poor. Only the men went out to work while the women stayed home and took care of the family. My grandmother was the oldest of her brothers and sister, so they all did not have to face the struggle of not having an education because they were brought to America at such a young age. My great grandfather was a hard working man according to my grandmother. He went out and worked all day long to put food on the table for his family. My great grandfather did not have an education because he lived in a poor area and needed to go right to work in order to support him and his wife. This was a major reason for why my family left Italy to come to America. My great grandparents felt that by coming to America there would be so many more opportunities. My grandmother said that when she came to America they faced some hard times as well but her father soon got a job and her mother stayed home as she did in Italy, and all over her brothers and sister went to school and earned a decent living in later years.
When I sat down with my grandmother and asked her about her emigration to the Untied States, I learned a lot about my family history. My family’s attitude toward where we come from is that they are very proud of where they come from. My grandmother says that she might have lived a hard life in Italy but at the same time that is where she was born and who she is and she could never forget that. My grandmother says that she lived a hard life in Italy compared to the life she has now for many reasons. As a child my grandmother was very poor and did not have many things that would benefit her such as, a good education, good clothing, a nice house and sometimes-large amounts of food. All these things were not right and my grandmothers hands. In order for my grandmother to get these things the family had to work hard. My grandmothers day consist of waking up and helping around the house, such as making breakfast for her brother and sister, and washing clothes. Then she would get herself ready for school and leave. She would do what needed to be done at school and then come right home to help her mother around the house again. My grandmother would then go out to help the more wealthy families in order to get some extra money for her family. All extra money was not allowed to be spent on herself it had to be given to her father to benefit the rest of the house. Then when my grandmother emigrated to America things were a lot better for her and her family. Her father was able to get a better job and there was more of an income that was coming into the house.
The culture of the Italians is something that my grandparents as well and my parents will never forget. Although my parents and I might not completely follow every belief of the religious background or every custom we are very proud of who we are and the people we have become through the struggle of coming to America. As far as my family and I are concerned, in my house we celebrate all the holidays that follow the Italian beliefs such as the Feast of St. Anthony, and the Feast of St. Saverio. The Italian way of life is a big part of my family. In Italy the rules and regulations that my grandmother had to follow such as family life, and rules at home still are followed now at my home. The rules may not be as strict as they were in Italy or when she was younger but I feel that they are very strict and things are different now and we should not have to follow them.
The Interview that I had with my grandmother, whose name is Gloria Martinellie was very interesting. My grandmother came to America in 1946 at which she was 10 years old. At the beginning of this paper I put aside questions that I wanted to know about my family history. The first question that I asked was what was the travel from Italy to America like? My grandmother said that it was a long drawn out journey. From what she remembers she came here by boat and it was horrible. Her father did not have the money to fly the whole family here so the only way here would be by boat. The boats were crowded with people and it was hot some days and rainy on others. She said that the only thing that she looked forward too, was seeing America. The I asked her, what was it like living in a place where your were unable to speak there language? She said that it was very hard, especially when everyone around you spoke so many different languages. She had a very hard time in school and found ways in communicating with other people, but she managed. The reason that my grandmother had a very hard time in school and communicating with people was because her English was not that good and not many people could understand it. My grandmother had a very hard time reading the American language but at the same time she was a very bright person. My grandmother found many ways in communicating with people, she learned how to express herself with her hand so that people would understand what she was trying to say. Although her English was not that well she was able to talk and communicate but she stuttered which made it hard for everyone to understand her. My grandmother had a major responsibility in many ways, being that my grandparents did not speak English very well also, she was the translator in many ways. If they went out some where my grandmother had to translate much of what was being said.
I also asked, what kind of work did my great grandfather do in America and she said that he worked in a factory and made a good living. My great grandfather made a good enough salary to support his whole family and make everyone happy. Another question I asked was what was the country like when you lived there? My grandmother responded by saying one word, "Poverty", This was a major struggle that they faced all through out living in Italy. My grandmother came from a poor town and never had much money. She said that when she came to America she finally realized what life could really be like. The last question that I asked was, are you happy with your parent’s decision to immigrate to America? She said that it was the best thing that her parents ever did. By moving to America it opened up a whole New World and experience for my whole family.
My grandmother does consider her to be an Italian American for many reasons. My grandmother was born in Italy and practically raised there. At the same time she has lived in America for a the rest of her life. She says that the reason why she considers herself to be an Italian American is because she now follows a lot of the American ways of life. She follows many things here that in Italy wouldn’t have been a thought. Some of the things that she follows here are the Fourth of July and Memorial Day and other holidays that have to deal with the United States. Although my grandmother said that she will never forget where she comes from, the United States is a big part of her life now and this is the life that she has to lead from now until the day she dies. My grandmother also said that she does not want to ever go back to Italy to live because life there is so different from her life their as a child and she is unsure if she could adjust to that life style again.
Work Cited
Extracts from a letter to an English comrade, November 15, 1931; printed in The Militant_, January 16, 1932
Albrecht-Carrie’, Rene’. Italy from Napoleon to Mussolini
(Columbia Univ. Press 1960)
Hearder, H. and Waley, D.P., eds. A Short History of Italy
(Cambridge Univ. Press, 1963).