Lynching of Castenego Ficarrotta and Angelo Albano in Tampa, Florida, on September 9, 1910.
There are multiple recorded instances of the lynching ofItalian Americans, most notably the1891 New Orleans lynchings, one of the largest mass lynchings in US history.[1] Between 1880 and 1921, there have been at least 50 documented cases of Italians being lynched in 9 states. While the vast majority of lynching victims during the late 1800s and early 1900s were African Americans, Italians were lynched in higher numbers compared to some other immigrant groups.
The vast majority of lynching victims in the United States have been African Americans. Over 4,000 African Americans have been lynched in American history.[2] Around 1,000 lynching victims have been white. Among white lynching victims, American Jews, Italian Americans, a German-American, a Finnish-American, and others have been lynched. Some Mexican-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans were also lynched. Between 1880 and 1921, there were over 50 documented cases of Italian Americans being lynched in 9 states including Florida, Louisiana, Illinois, New York, Mississippi, Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, and Washington state.[3]
Two Italian men were lynched inTampa,Florida in 1910. The two men, Castenego Ficarrotta and Angelo Albano, were handcuffed together and hanged in a swamp. Ficarrotta was a naturalized citizen. The Italian Embassy released a statement in the wake of the lynching stating that Albano was an Italian citizen.[5]
An Italian male, Louis Laferdetta, was lynched by hanging inBoone County, Kentucky, on July 17, 1894.[6] He was lynched after being accused of murdering a farmer.[7]
Two attempted or completed lynchings of Italians occurred in Mississippi in 1901. A mob attacked a group of Italians and another mob lynched an Italian inErwin, Mississippi, and a mob chased four Italians out ofMarksville, Louisiana.[9]
