Italians in America before 1880 included a number of explorers, starting withChristopher Columbus who discoveredPuerto Rico on November 19, 1493. There also were a few small settlements.[3] The first Italian to be registered as residing in the area corresponding to the current U.S. wasPietro Cesare Alberti,[4] commonly regarded as the firstItalian American, a Venetian seaman who, in 1635, settled in theDutch colony ofNew Amsterdam, what would eventually becomeNew York City.Enrico Tonti, together with the French explorerRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, explored the Great Lakes region. Tonti founded the first European settlement inIllinois in 1679 and inArkansas in 1683, known asPoste de Arkansea, making him "The Father of Arkansas".[1][2] With LaSalle, he co-foundedNew Orleans, and was governor of the Louisiana Territory for the next 20 years. His brotherAlfonso Tonti, with French explorerAntoine de la Mothe Cadillac, was the co-founder ofDetroit in 1701, and was its acting colonial governor for 12 years. TheTaliaferro family (originallyTagliaferro), believed to have roots inVenice, was one of theFirst Families to settleVirginia.
In 1773–1785,Filippo Mazzei, a physician and close friend and confidant ofThomas Jefferson, published a pamphlet containing the phrase, "All men are by nature equally free and independent. Such equality is necessary in order to create a free government. All men must be equal to each other in natural law".[5] As claimed byJohn F. Kennedy inA Nation of Immigrants and by Joint Resolution 175 of the103rd Congress, Mazzei's phrase may have inspired Jefferson in drafting theDeclaration of Independence.[6][7] Italian Americans served in theAmerican Revolutionary War both as soldiers and officers.Francesco Vigo aided the colonial forces ofGeorge Rogers Clark by serving as one of the foremost financiers of the Revolution in the frontier Northwest. Later, he was a co-founder ofVincennes University in Indiana. Between 5,000 and 10,000 Italian Americans fought in theAmerican Civil War. TheGaribaldi Guard recruited volunteers for the Union Army from Italy and other European countries to form the39th New York Infantry. At the outbreak of the American Civil War,Giuseppe Garibaldi was a very popular figure. The great majority of Italian Americans, for both demographic and ideological reasons, served in theUnion Army (including generalsEdward Ferrero andFrancis B. Spinola). Some Americans of Italian descent from the Southern states fought in theConfederate Army, such as GeneralWilliam B. Taliaferro (ofEnglish-American andAnglo-Italian descent) andP. G. T. Beauregard.
Giovanni Martino or Giovanni Martini, also known as John Martin was a soldier and trumpeter who served both in Italy withGiuseppe Garibaldi and in theUnited States Army, famously in the7th Cavalry Regiment underGeorge Armstrong Custer, where he became known as the only survivor from Custer'scompany at theBattle of the Little Bighorn. An immigrant,Antonio Meucci, brought with him a concept for the telephone. He is credited by many researchers with being the first to demonstrate the principle of the telephone in apatent caveat he submitted to theU.S. Patent Office in 1871; however, considerable controversy existed relative to the priority of invention, withAlexander Graham Bell also being accorded this distinction. (In 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on Meucci (H.R. 269) declaring that "his work in the invention of the telephone should be acknowledged.").
Italian[8] navigators and explorers played a key role in the exploration and settlement of the Americas byEuropeans.Genoese explorerChristopher Columbus (Italian:Cristoforo Colombo[kriˈstɔːforokoˈlombo]) completedfour voyages across the Atlantic Ocean for theCatholic Monarchs of Spain. These voyages led to the widespread knowledge of theNew World. This breakthrough inaugurated the period known as theAge of Discovery, which saw thecolonization of the Americas, a relatedbiological exchange, andtrans-Atlantic trade. These events, the effects and consequences of which persist to the present, are often cited as the beginning of themodern era.
Born in theRepublic of Genoa, Columbus was anavigator who sailed in search of a westward route toIndia,China,Japan and theSpice Islands thought to be the East Asian source ofspices and other precious oriental goods obtainable only through arduousoverland routes.[9] Columbus was partly inspired by 13th-century Italian explorerMarco Polo in his ambition to explore Asia. His initial belief that he had reached "the Indies" has resulted in the name "West Indies" being attached to theBahamas and the islands of theCaribbean. At the time of Columbus's voyages, the Americas were inhabited byIndigenous Americans, and Columbus later participated in the beginning of the Spanishconquest of the Americas.
Another Italian,John Cabot (Italian:Giovanni Caboto[dʒoˈvannikaˈbɔːto]), together with his sonSebastian, explored theeastern seaboard of North America forHenry VII in the early 16th century. The historianAlwyn Ruddock worked on Cabot and his era for 35 years. She suggested that Cabot and his expedition successfully returned to England in the spring of 1500. She claimed their return followed an epic two-year exploration of the east coast of North America, south into the Chesapeake Bay area and perhaps as far as the Spanish territories in the Caribbean. Her evidence included the well-known world map of the Spanish cartographerJuan de la Cosa. His chart included the North American coast and seas "discovered by the English" between 1497 and 1500.[14]
The Cabot Project at theUniversity of Bristol was organized in 2009 to search for the evidence on which Ruddock's claims rest, as well as to undertake related studies of Cabot and his expeditions.[15] The lead researchers on the project, Evan Jones and Margaret Condon, claim to have found further evidence to support aspects of Ruddock's case, including some of the information she intended to use to argue for a successful return of the 1498 expedition to Bristol. These appear to place John Cabot in London by May 1500, although Jones and Condon have yet to publish their documentation.
The project is collaborating on an archaeological excavation at the community ofCarbonear, Newfoundland, located at Conception Bay and believed the likely location for Carbonariis's possible mission settlement. The Archaeology of Historic Carbonear Project, carried out byMemorial University of Newfoundland, has conducted summer fieldwork each season since 2011. So far, it has found evidence of planter habitation since the late 17th century and of trade with Spain throughBilbao, including a Spanish coin minted inPeru.[16][17]
In 1524 theFlorentine explorerGiovanni da Verrazzano (Italian:[dʒoˈvannida(v)verratˈtsaːno]) was the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between Florida and New Brunswick in 1524.[18] The geographic information derived from this voyage significantly influenced 16th-century cartographers.[19] Despite his discoveries, Verrazzano's reputation did not proliferate as much as other explorers of that era. For example, Verrazzano gave the European name Francesca to the new land that he had seen, in accordance with contemporary practices, after the French king in whose name he sailed. That and other names he bestowed on features he discovered have not survived.
Verrazzano's reputation was particularly obscure inNew York City, where the 1609 voyage ofHenry Hudson on behalf of theDutch Republic came to be regarded as thede facto start of European exploration of New York. It was onlyby a great effort in the 1950s and 1960s that Verrazzano's name and reputation were re-established as the European discoverer of the harbour, during an effort to name the newly builtNarrows bridge after him.[20]
The Italian explorerAmerigo Vespucci (Italian:[ameˈriːɡoveˈsputtʃi]) first demonstrated in about 1501 that the New World was not Asia as initially conjectured but a different continent (America is named after him).[13] Between 1497 and 1504, Vespucci participated in at least two voyages of theAge of Discovery, first on behalf of Spain (1499–1500) and then for Portugal (1501–1502). In 1503 and 1505, two booklets were published under his name, containing colourful descriptions of these explorations and other alleged voyages. Both publications were extremely popular and widely read across much of Europe. Although historians still dispute the authorship and veracity of these accounts, at the time they were instrumental in raising awareness of the new discoveries and enhancing the reputation of Vespucci as an explorer and navigator.
Vespucci claimed to have understood, back in 1501 during his Portuguese expedition, that Brazil was part of a fourth continent unknown to Europeans, which he called the "New World". The claim inspired cartographerMartin Waldseemüller to recognize Vespucci's accomplishments in 1507 by applying the Latinized form "America" for the first time to a map showing the New World. Other cartographers followed suit, and by 1538 the tradition of marking the name "America" on maps of the newly discovered continents was secure. It is unknown whether Vespucci was ever aware of these honours. In 1505, he was made a subject ofCastile by royal decree and in 1508, he was appointed to the newly created position ofpiloto mayor (master navigator) for Spain'sCasa de Contratación (House of Trade) in Seville, a post he held until his death in 1512.
A number of Italian navigators and explorers in the employ of Spain and France were involved in exploring and mapping their territories, and in establishing settlements; but this did not lead to the permanent presence of Italians in America. In 1539Marco da Nizza explored the territory that later became the states ofArizona andNew Mexico.
The first Italian to be registered as residing in the area corresponding to the current U.S. wasPietro Cesare Alberti,[4] commonly regarded as the firstItalian American, a Venetian seaman who, in 1635, settled in theDutch colony ofNew Amsterdam, what would eventually becomeNew York City. Pietro Alberti was born on the island ofLido atMalamocco[21] in 1608 at the height of Venice's commercial power. hese troops carried with them a particularly virulent strain ofbubonic plague. The plague spread rapidly, killing 46,000 of the city's 140,000 residents. The immense decline in Venice's population led to a similar decline in its commercial power. During theThirty Years' War troops from theNetherlands were stationed inMalamocco, a small hamlet on the island of theLido of Venice. Because the Albertis' power was derived from the success of Venetian traders, Pietro decided at the age of 27 to seek a new life in theNew World.
Alberti was the first of millions ofItalian Americans who would later form part of American culture. A small stone inNew York City'sBattery Park, near the bronze statue ofGiovanni da Verrazzano, commemorates Pietro Alberti's arrival and declares June 2 to be "Alberti Day".[22] Over the centuries, the family name Alberti had variations in spelling like Albertis, Alburtus, Alburtis and Burtis. Indeed, nearly every American bearing the surnames Burtis and Alburtis can trace their ancestry back to Peter Caesar Alberti.[23]
A small wave of Protestants, known asWaldensians, who were of French and northern Italian heritage (specificallyPiedmontese), occurred during the 17th century. The first Waldensians began arriving around 1640, with the majority coming between 1654 and 1663.[24] They spread out across what was then calledNew Netherland, and what would become New York, New Jersey and the Lower Delaware River regions. The total American Waldensian population that immigrated to New Netherland is currently unknown; however, a 1671 Dutch record indicates that, in 1656 alone, theDuchy of Savoy nearTurin, Italy, had exiled 300 Waldensians due to their Protestant faith.
Enrico Tonti (Henri de Tonti), together with the French explorerRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, explored theGreat Lakes region. Tonti founded the first European settlement inIllinois in 1679 and inArkansas in 1683, known asPoste de Arkansea, making him "The Father of Arkansas".[1][2] With LaSalle, he co-foundedNew Orleans, and was governor of the Louisiana Territory for the next 20 years. His brotherAlfonso Tonti, with French explorerAntoine de la Mothe Cadillac, was the co-founder ofDetroit in 1701, and was its acting colonial governor for 12 years. Enrico Tonti was one of the first explorers to navigate and sail the upper Great Lakes. He also sailed theIllinois and theMississippi, to its mouth and thereupon claimed the length of the Mississippi forLouis XIV of France.[25] He is credited with founding the settlement that would becomePeoria, Illinois.
Spain and France were Catholic countries and sent many missionaries to convert the native American population. Included among these missionaries were numerous Italians. In 1519–25,Alessandro Geraldini was the first Catholic bishop in the Americas, atSanto Domingo. FatherFrançois-Joseph Bressani (Francesco Giuseppe Bressani) labored among theAlgonquin andHuron peoples in the early 17th century. The southwest and California were explored and mapped by Italian Jesuit priestEusebio Kino (Chino) in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.His statue, commissioned by the state of Arizona, is displayed in theUnited States Capitol Visitor Center.
TheTaliaferro family (originallyTagliaferro), believed to have roots inVenice, was one of theFirst Families to settleVirginia. TheWythe House, a historicGeorgian home built inWilliamsburg, Virginia in 1754, was designed by architectRichard Taliaferro for his son-in-law,American Founding FatherGeorge Wythe, who married Richard's daughter Elizabeth Taliaferro. The elder Taliaferro designed much ofColonial Williamsburg including theGovernor's Palace, theCapitol of theColony of Virginia, and the President's House at theCollege of William & Mary.[26]
Francesco Maria de Reggio, an Italiannobleman of theHouse of Este who served under theFrench asFrançois Marie, Chevalier de Reggio, came toLouisiana in 1747 where KingLouis XV appointed himCaptain General ofFrench Louisiana, until 1763.[27] Scion of the De Reggios, aLouisiana Creole first family ofSt. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, Francesco Maria's granddaughter Hélène Judith de Reggio would give birth to famedConfederate GeneralP. G. T. Beauregard.[28]
A colonial merchant, Francis Ferrari of Genoa, was naturalized as a citizen ofRhode Island in 1752.[29] He died in 1753 and in his will speaks ofGenoa, his ownership of three ships, cargo of wine and his wife Mary,[30] who went on to own one of the oldest coffee houses in America, the Merchant Coffee House of New York on Wall Street at Water St. Her Merchant Coffee House moved across Wall Street in 1772, retaining the same name and patronage.[31] In 1774–1775Pietro Sodi [it] was the first famous Italian ballet master to come to the United States.
This period saw a small stream of new arrivals from Italy. Some brought skills in agriculture and the making of glass, silk and wine, while others brought skills as musicians.[32]
In 1773–1785,Filippo Mazzei, a physician, philosopher, diplomat, and author, was a close friend and confidant of Thomas Jefferson. He published a pamphlet containing the phrase, which Jefferson incorporated essentially intact into theDeclaration of Independence:[33][disputed –discuss]
Tutti gli uomini sono per natura egualmente liberi e indipendenti. Quest'eguaglianza è necessaria per costituire un governo libero. Bisogna che ognuno sia uguale all'altro nel diritto naturale.
Translated by Jefferson as follow:
All men are by nature equally free and independent. Such equality is necessary in order to create a free government. All men must be equal to each other in natural law
Mazzei practiced medicine in Italy and theMiddle East for several years before moving toLondon in 1755 to take up a mercantile career as an importer. In London, he worked as a teacher of Italian language.[34] While in London he met the AmericansBenjamin Franklin andThomas Jefferson of Virginia. While doing work for Franklin, Mazzei shared his idea of importing Tuscan products, wine and olive trees, to the New World. They convinced him to undertake his next venture.
On September 2, 1773, Mazzei boarded a ship from Livorno to theColony of Virginia, bringing with him plants, seeds, silkworms, and 10 farmers fromLucca. He visited Jefferson at his estate, and the two became good friends. Jefferson gave Mazzei an allotment of land for an experimental plantation. Mazzei purchased more land adjoining this gift of acreage and established a plantation he named Colle. They shared an interest in politics and liberal values, and maintained an active correspondence for the rest of Mazzei's life. The contribution of Filippo Mazzei to theU.S. Declaration of Independence was acknowledged byJohn F. Kennedy in his bookA Nation of Immigrants, in which he states that:[35]
The great doctrine 'All men are created equal'[36][37] and incorporated into the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, was paraphrased from the writing of Philip Mazzei, an Italian-born patriot and pamphleteer, who was a close friend of Jefferson. A few alleged scholars try to discredit Mazzei as the creator of this statement and idea, saying that "there is no mention of it anywhere until after the Declaration was published". This phrase appears in Italian in Mazzei's own hand, written in Italian, several years prior to the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Mazzei and Jefferson often exchanged ideas about true liberty and freedom. No one man can take complete credit for the ideals of American democracy.
Italian Americans served in theAmerican Revolutionary War both as soldiers and officers.Francesco Vigo aided the colonial forces ofGeorge Rogers Clark by serving as one of the foremost financiers of the Revolution in the frontier Northwest. Later, he was a co-founder ofVincennes University in Indiana. Born inMondovì,Italy, he served with theSpanish Army inNew Orleans. In 1772 he established a fur trading business inSt. Louis. In 1783, Vigo moved toVincennes, Indiana, and operated a fur trading business there.Vigo County, Indiana, on theWabash River north of Vincennes, is named for Francis Vigo, as isVigo, Indiana. TheGeorge Rogers Clark National Historical Park erected a statue of Vigo byJohn Angel in 1934, on the waterfront of the Wabash River. Vigo was featured in a collectors coin to celebrate the bicentennial of Indiana statehood.[38]
There is a strong association betweenItalian-American cuisine and the history ofwinemaking in the United States. ManyItalian wines were first introduced to the United States in the late 18th century. Italian vintners were first brought to the state ofFlorida in 1766 byDr. Andrew Turnbull, a British Consul atSmyrna (nowİzmir).Filippo Mazzei also cultivate vineyards, olives, and other Mediterranean fruit with the help of Italians.[39]
After American independence numerous political refugees arrived, most notably:Giuseppe Avezzana,Alessandro Gavazzi,Silvio Pellico,Federico Confalonieri, andEleuterio Felice Foresti.Giuseppe Garibaldi resided in the United States in 1850–51. At the invitation of Thomas Jefferson, Carlo Bellini became the first professor of modern languages at theCollege of William & Mary, in the years 1779–1803.[40][41]Pietro Bachi was the first professor fromItaly teaching atHarvard University from 1826 to 1846.
In 1801,Philip Trajetta (Filippo Traetta) established the nation's first conservatory of music in Boston, where, in the first half of the century, organistCharles Nolcini and conductor Louis Ostinelli were also active.[42] In 1805Thomas Jefferson recruited a group of musicians from Sicily to form a military band, later to become the nucleus of theU.S. Marine Band. The musicians included the youngVenerando Pulizzi, who became the first Italian director of the band, and served in this capacity from 1816 to 1827.[43]Francesco Maria Scala, an Italian-born naturalized American citizen, was one of the most important and influential directors of the U.S. Marine Band, from 1855 to 1871, and was credited with the instrumental organization the band still maintains. Joseph Lucchesi, the third Italian leader of the U.S. Marine Band, served from 1844 to 1846.[44] The first opera house in the country opened in 1833 in New York through the efforts ofLorenzo Da Ponte, Mozart's former librettist, who had immigrated to America and had become the first professor of Italian atColumbia College in 1825.
During this period Italian explorers continued to be active in the West.Alessandro Malaspina undertook avoyage around the world from 1786 to 1788, then, from 1789 to 1794, a scientific expedition (theMalaspina Expedition) throughout thePacific Ocean, exploring and mapping much ofthe west coast of the Americas fromCape Horn to theGulf of Alaska, crossing toGuam and thePhilippines, and stopping inNew Zealand,Australia, andTonga. In 1822–23 the headwater region of theMississippi was explored byGiacomo Beltrami in the territory that was later to become Minnesota, which named acounty in his honor. In the U.S. Giacomo Beltrami also began visiting a number of cities. He eventually began a voyage down theOhio River with the intention of following it to the Mississippi and then south toNew Orleans, Louisiana. While on board he met with the prominent United States Indian agent,Lawrence Taliaferro, who was planning to travel upriver on the Mississippi. Beltrami soon became obsessed with the idea of finding the river's source. In 1823, the two later joined withStephen H. Long as they traveled upriver toFort Saint Anthony.
Joseph Rosati was named the first Catholic bishop of St. Louis in 1824. In 1830–64Samuel Mazzuchelli, a missionary and expert in Indian languages, ministered to European colonists and Native Americans in Wisconsin and Iowa for 34 years and, after his death, was declared Venerable by the Catholic Church. FatherCharles Constantine Pise, a Jesuit, served asChaplain of the Senate from 1832 to 1833,[45][46] the only Catholic priest ever chosen to serve in this capacity.
In 1833,Lorenzo Da Ponte, formerly Mozart's librettist, and a naturalized U.S. citizen, founded the first opera house in the United States, the Italian Opera House in New York City, which was the predecessor of the New York Academy of Music and of the New York Metropolitan Opera. He was the first professor ofItalian literature atColumbia University, and withManuel Garcia, the first to introduceItalian opera to America.[47][48] Da Ponte was also a close friend ofMozart andCasanova.[47][49]
Missionaries of theJesuit andFranciscan orders were active in many parts of America. Italian Jesuits founded numerous missions, schools and two colleges in the west.Giovanni Nobili founded theSanta Clara College (nowSanta Clara University) in 1851. TheSt. Ignatius Academy (nowUniversity of San Francisco) was established byAnthony Maraschi in 1855. The Italian Jesuits also laid the foundation for the wine-making industry that would later flourish in California. In the east, the Italian Franciscans founded hospitals, orphanages, schools, and theSt. Bonaventure College (nowSt. Bonaventure University), established by Panfilo da Magliano in 1858.
In 1837, John Phinizy (Finizzi) became the mayor ofAugusta, Georgia.Samuel Wilds Trotti ofSouth Carolina was the first Italian American to serve in theUnited States House of Representatives.[50] Born inBarnwell, South Carolina, Trotti attended the common schools. He graduated from South Carolina College (nowUniversity of South Carolina) at Columbia in 1832. He studied law and was admitted to the bar. He served in the Seminole War. Trotti served as member of the State house of representatives from 1840 to 1841 from 1852 to 1855. He was elected as aDemocrat to the Twenty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation ofSampson H. Butler and served from December 17, 1842, to March 3, 1843.
In 1849, Francesco, de Casale began publishing the Italian American newspaperL'Eco d'Italia in New York, the first of many to eventually follow. In 1848,Francis Ramacciotti, piano string inventor and manufacturer, immigrated to the U.S. from Tuscany.
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Between 5,000 and 10,000 Italian Americans fought in theAmerican Civil War.[51] The great majority of Italian Americans, for both demographic and ideological reasons, served in theUnion Army (including generalsEdward Ferrero andFrancis B. Spinola). Some Americans of Italian descent from the disbandedArmy of the Two Sicilies defeated byGiuseppe Garibaldi after theExpedition of the Thousand fought in theConfederate Army, such as GeneralWilliam B. Taliaferro (ofEnglish-American andAnglo-Italian descent) andP. G. T. Beauregard.[28] Six Italian Americans received theMedal of Honor during the war, among whom was ColonelLuigi Palma di Cesnola, who later became the first Director of theMetropolitan Museum of Arts in New York (1879-1904).
TheGaribaldi Guard recruited volunteers for the Union Army from Italy and other European countries to form the39th New York Infantry.[52] At the outbreak of the American Civil War,Giuseppe Garibaldi was a very popular figure. The39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, of whose 350 members were Italian, was nicknamedGaribaldi Guard in his honor. The unit wore red shirts andbersaglieri plumes. They carried with them both a Union Flag as well as anItalian flag with the wordsDio e popolo, meaning "God and people."[53] In 1861 Garibaldi himself volunteered his services to PresidentAbraham Lincoln. Garibaldi was offered a Major General's commission in the U.S. Army through the letter from Secretary of StateWilliam H. Seward toH. S. Sanford, the U.S. Minister atBrussels, July 17, 1861.[54]
Most of the Italian-Americans who joined theUnion Army were recruited fromNew York City. Many Italians of note were interested in the war and joined the army, reaching positions of authority. Brigadier GeneralEdward Ferrero was the original commander of the51st New York Regiment.[55] He commanded both brigades and divisions in theeastern andwestern theaters of war and later commanded a division of theUnited States Colored Troops. Colonel Enrico Fardella, of the same and later of the85th New York regiment, was made abrevet brigadier general when the war ended.Francis B. Spinola recruited fourregiments in New York, was soon appointed Brigadier General by PresidentAbraham Lincoln and given command of theSpinola Brigade. Later he commanded another unit, the famedExcelsior Brigade.
ColonelLuigi Palma di Cesnola, a former Italian and British soldier and veteran of theCrimean War, commanded the 4th New York Cavalry and would rise to become one of the highest ranking Italian officer in the Union Army.[56] He established a military school in New York City where many young Italians were trained and later served in the Union army. Di Cesnola received theMedal of Honor for his actions during theBattle of Aldie.[57] Two more famous examples were Francesco Casale and Luigi Tinelli, who were instrumental in the formation of the39th New York Infantry Regiment. According to one evaluation of theOfficial Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, there were over 200 Italians who served as officers in the U.S. army.[58] At least 260 Italian Americans fought as sailors in the Union Navy.[59]
Several Italian American soldiers of theConfederate States Army were veterans from theArmy of the Two Sicilies who had fought against Giuseppe Garibaldi in, and were captured during, theExpedition of the Thousand as part of theunification of Italy. They were released after a treaty between Garibaldi andChatham Roberdeau Wheat. In December 1860 and few months of 1861, these volunteers were transported toNew Orleans with the shipsElisabetta,Olyphant,Utile,Charles & Jane,Washington andFranklin.[60] Most Confederate Italian Americans had settled in Louisiana. The militia of Louisiana had anItalian Guards Battalion that became part of its 6th Regiment.[61] Following the protests of many soldiers, who did not feel like Italian citizens since they fought against the unification of Italy, it was renamed6th Regiment, European Brigade in 1862.
Among theConfederate officer corps, GeneralWilliam B. Taliaferro had some Italian ancestry as a son of theTaliaferrofirst family of Virginia, descended fromItalians in England in the 1500s who settled theColony of Virginia in the 1600s.[62][63] GeneralP. G. T. Beauregard, aLouisiana Creole, had Italian ancestry via his mother Hélène Judith de Reggio, who hailed from a prominent first family ofSt. Bernard Parish,Louisiana established in 1747 by her grandfatherFrancesco Maria de Reggio, an Italiannobleman of theHouse of Este.[28][64]
Beginning in 1863, Italian immigrants were one of the principal groups of unskilled laborers, along with the Irish, that built the Transcontinental Railroad west from Omaha, Nebraska.[65]
In 1866Constantino Brumidi completed the frescoed interior of theUnited States Capitol dome in Washington, and spent the rest of his life executing still other artworks to beautify the Capitol. His first art work in theCapitol Building was in the meeting room of theHouse Committee on Agriculture. At first he received eight dollars a day, whichJefferson Davis, thenSecretary of War of the United States, helped increase to ten dollars. His work attracting much favorable attention, he was given further commissions, and gradually settled into the position of a Government painter. His chief work inWashington was done in therotunda of the Capitol and includedThe Apotheosis of Washington in the dome and theFrieze of American History, which contains allegorical scenes fromAmerican history. His artistic vision was influenced by the wall paintings ofPompeii andancient Rome, as well as the classical revivals that characterized theRenaissance andBaroque periods.[66][67] His work in the rotunda was left unfinished at his death, but he had decorated many other sections of the building, most notably hallways in the Senate side of the Capitol now known as theBrumidi Corridors.Filippo Costaggini continued painting the frieze over the next 8 years based on the sketches Brumidi left; however, there was no sketch left for the final panel, which remained empty until 1953, whenAllyn Cox designed and painted it.[68]
Giovanni Turini completed various monumental statues in the United States. He is best remembered as a portrait and historical sculptor.[69] His portrait bust ofGiuseppe Mazzini, which he created in 1876 and was dedicated in 1878 was funded by the New York Italian American community and was one of the early examples of public statuary in the city. Turini, who served withGiuseppe Garibaldi as a volunteer during theThird Italian War of Independence in 1866, created Garibaldi's statue inWashington Square Park in 1888.[70]Vincenzo Botta was a politician and professor ofItalian language andItalian literature atNew York University from 1856 to 1894.
The firstColumbus Day celebration took place on October 12, 1792, when the Columbian Order of New York, better known asTammany Hall, held an event to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the historic landing.[71] TheColumbus Obelisk in Baltimore was erected in 1792. ManyItalian Americans observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their heritage and not of Columbus himself, and the day was celebrated in New York City on October 12, 1866.[72] The day was first enshrined as a legal holiday in the United States through the lobbying of Angelo Noce, a first-generation American, in Denver.[73] For the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1892, followinglynchings in New Orleans, where a mob had murdered 11 Italian immigrants, PresidentBenjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day as a one-time national celebration.[74][75] The proclamation was part of a wider effort after the lynching incident to placate Italian Americans and ease diplomatic tensions with Italy.[74]
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Giovanni Martino or Giovanni Martini, also known as John Martin was a soldier and trumpeter who served both in Italy withGiuseppe Garibaldi and in theUnited States Army, famously in the7th Cavalry Regiment underGeorge Armstrong Custer, where he became known as the only survivor from Custer'scompany at theBattle of the Little Bighorn.Francesco Fanciulli was aband director andcomposer. Between 1892 and 1897 he led theUnited States Marine Band. In the second half of the 19th century,Italian opera began to establish itself in the United States, starting withSan Francisco;Eliza Biscaccianti,Adelina Patti andPasquale Brignoli were the first Italian singers to take on stardom in the United States. The presence of Italians in the United States was also important in dance withMaria Bonfanti,Rita Sangalli andGiuseppina Morlacchi.
Carlo Gentile, known professionally in his lifetime as Charles Gentile, was a photographer. After travelling the world, he settled inVictoria, British Columbia, for a few years, photographing diverse subjects including the gold fields. In 1867, he moved to California, and lived a restless existence with frequent moves between California andArizona. In 1871, he purchased a young boy named Wassaja, later namedCarlos Montezuma, for 30 silver dollars. In the midst of their travels, they participated in aWild West Show starringBuffalo Bill. Gentile continued the pursuit of his photographic career in Chicago, while publishing a series of newspapers along with maintaining a weekly magazine.
An immigrant,Antonio Meucci, brought with him a concept for the telephone. He is credited by many researchers with being the first to demonstrate the principle of the telephone in apatent caveat he submitted to theU.S. Patent Office in 1871; however, considerable controversy existed relative to the priority of invention, withAlexander Graham Bell also being accorded this distinction. (In 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on Meucci (H.R. 269) declaring that "his work in the invention of the telephone should be acknowledged.")[76]
During this period, Italian Americans established a number of institutions of higher learning.Las Vegas College (nowRegis University) was established by a group of exiled Italian Jesuits in 1877 in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The JesuitGiuseppe Cataldo, foundedGonzaga College (nowGonzaga University) in Spokane, Washington in 1887. In 1886, RabbiSabato Morais, a Jewish Italian immigrant, was one of the founders and first president of theJewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. Also during this period, there was a growing presence of Italian Americans in higher education.Vincenzo Botta was a distinguished professor of Italian atNew York University from 1856 to 1894,[77] and Gaetano Lanza was a professor of mechanical engineering at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology for over 40 years, beginning in 1871.[78]
Il Progresso Italo-Americano was anItalian-language daily newspaper in the United States, published inNew York City from 1880 to 1988, founded in 1879 byCarlo Barsotti and Vincenzo Polidori, who were also the first editors. It was abully pulpit for raising funds for monuments by public subscription in the city of New York. From 1888 to 1921 it promoted monuments toGiuseppe Garibaldi,Christopher Columbus,Giuseppe Verdi,Giovanni da Verrazzano andDante.
Anthony Ghio became the mayor ofTexarkana, Texas in 1880.Francis B. Spinola, the first Italian American to be elected to theUnited States House of Representatives, serving as a representative from New York from 1887 to 1891. He also served as a general in theUnion Army during theAmerican Civil War. Following the war, Spinola was a banker and insurance agent and became an influential figure among the rapidly growing Italian immigrant community in the New York City area. He was again a member of the State Assembly (New York Co., 16th D.) in1877,1881 and1883.
In 1870, prior to the large wave of Italian immigrants to the United States, there were fewer than 25,000 Italian immigrants in America, many of themNorthern Italian refugees from the wars that accompanied theRisorgimento—the struggle for Italian reunification and independence from foreign rule which ended in 1870.[79]
Immigration began to increase during the 1870s, when more than twice as many Italians immigrated than during the five previous decades combined.[80][81] From 1880 to 1914, 13 millionItalians migrated out of Italy,[82] making Italy the scene of one of the largest voluntary emigrations in recorded world history.[83]
During this period of mass migration, 4 million Italians arrived in the United States, 3 million of them between 1900 and 1914.[84] They came for the most part from southern Italy: the provinces ofAbruzzo,Campania,Apulia,Basilicata, andCalabria and from the island ofSicily.[85] Most planned to stay a few years, then take their earnings and return home. According to historianThomas J. Archdeacon, 46% of the Italians who entered the U.S. between 1899 and 1924 permanently returned home.[86]
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The first Italian to come to what would become Chicago wasEnrico Tonti, who was fromGaeta inLazio region of central Italy.He was a soldier in service of the French. In the Fall of 1680, Tonti was in the la Salle Expedition and 2nd in command of the company. He and Father Membré, passed through theChicago Portage from the Illinois valley to go to Green Bay (having reached theIllinois River with La Salle by way of the Kankakee portage). On Jan. 7, 1682, Tonti met La Salle at Chicago, and together with a group of 21 additional Frenchmen and 30 Indians they used the portage on their way to the Mississippi, the mouth of which they reached on April 9, 1682. In 1697, Enrico Tonti, Michel Accault, andFrançois de la Forêt received permission from Governor Frontenac to establish a fortified trading post at Chicagou managed by Pierre de Liette, Tonti's cousin, a Franco-Italian, which lasted until c.1705.
De Liette kept a journal of his experiences living with the Illinois natives for those years he lived with them at the Chicago trading post. De Liette divided his time from 1691 to 1705 between the Miami at Chicago and the Illinois atFort St. Louis de Pimiteoui,Peoria, which he had helped build. In Chicago, he ran a trading post in partnership with François Daupin de la Forêt, Michel Accault, and Enrico Tonti [located probably near today's Tribune Tower] which he had to close, leaving in 1705 after the king revoked his trading license; continued as French commander and trader in the Illinois country until 1720. From Liette's memoirs: "Most beautiful, you begin to see its fertility at Chicago, unwooded prairies, requiring only to be turned up by the plow, most temperate climate."
In the 1850s, Italians settled in Chicago. Originally, most wereGenoese. The first generation worked primarily as merchants, restaurateurs, and fruit sellers. Some worked in the plaster industry.[87] The plaster workers originated fromLucca.[88]
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The first Italian American in Detroit wasAlfonso Tonti, a Frenchman with an Italian immigrant father. He was the second-in-command ofAntoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who established Detroit in 1701. Tonti's child, born in 1703, was the first ethnic European child born in Detroit. Tonti became the commander of the Detroit fort after Cadillac left to return to France.[89]
In order to preserve the fur trade, the French administrators and the British administrators discouraged immigration, so the Italian population had slow growth. Growth in immigration increased after Detroit became a part of the United States and theErie Canal had been constructed. Armando Delicato, author ofItalians in Detroit, wrote that Italian immigration to Detroit "lagged behind other cities in the East".[89]
The first Italian to reside in New York wasPietro Cesare Alberti,[4] aVenetian seaman who, in 1635, settled in the Dutch colony ofNew Amsterdam that would eventually becomeNew York. A small wave of Protestants, known asWaldensians, who were of French and northern Italian heritage (specifically Piedmontese), occurred during the 17th century, with the majority coming between 1654 and 1663.[90] A 1671 Dutch record indicates that, in 1656 alone, theDuchy of Savoy nearTurin, Italy, had exiled 300 Waldensians due to their Protestant faith.
During the 18th CenturyColonial Era of the United States, the few Italian immigrants to come to Philadelphia came in small numbers and from higher class backgrounds, and these few Italians were often considered to be accomplished in business, art, and music.[91] Some early Italian settlements appeared inSouth Philadelphia. In contrast to the vast majority of Italian immigrants to Philadelphia that arrived much later and originated from impoverished areas ofSouthern Italy, Italian immigrants from this period predominantly originated from wealthier areas inNorthern Italy and towns withinGenoa Province,Liguria,[92] includingGenoa andChiavari, while only a small number came fromVeneto.[93]
Donna J. Di Giacomo, author ofItalians in Philadelphia, wrote that the first population was "in much smaller numbers" than the mass immigrant groups of the late 19th Century and 20th Century.[92] At the time, many educated Americans had a positive view of classical culture, and thus their view of Northern Italian immigrants was more positive.[94] Among the immigrants of this first period,Lorenzo Da Ponte, who immigrated in 1804, helped introduceItalian Opera in America.[95]
In 1819Silvio Pellico wrote in "Breve soggiorno in Milano di Battistino Barometro" that some Italian immigrants were going to Philadelphia.[96] Charles L. Flynn Jr. ofAssumption College stated in his book review ofBuilding Little Italy that the Philadelphia Italian "community" didn't actually form until the 1850s and 1860s, when it achieved enough size to do so. There were 117 Philadelphia residents at the time known to have been born in Italy.[97] By the 1870 census this increased to 517, with 82% of them living in South Philadelphia.[96]
Whereas the phrase in the Declaration of Independence "All men are created equal", was suggested by the Italian patriot and immigrant Philip Mazzei.
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{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Translated by Jefferson as follow:Tutti gli uomini sono per natura egualmente liberi e indipendenti. Quest'eguaglianza è necessaria per costituire un governo libero. Bisogna che ognuno sia uguale all'altro nel diritto naturale.
All men are by nature equally free and independent. Such equality is necessary in order to create a free government.
All men must be equal to each other in natural law
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