subject: Ethnic Groups and Discrimination [print this page] Ethnic Groups and Discrimination Ethnic Groups and Discrimination
Discrimination in the United States has been rampant for many years. During the immigration period various groups went through discrimination in various forms. Italians underwent the same once they entered the American land. This article looks into the reason behind the Italians' migration and the forms of discrimination they underwent in the USA.
Italian-Americans
The Italian Americans refer to immigrants from Italy. They migrated from their home land because the economic conditions there were not good. There were many cases of unemployment, and exploitation by those in power. In addition, mortality rate was high since the medical care given was inadequate. There was poor housing and little or even no schooling at all. USA was to them a land of opportunity especially promising liberty to them from all kinds of suffering. In 1871, the conditions worsen especially with the break of cholera which claimed many lives. There was rise in taxes since the government had taken no initiative of improving the declining economy. The Italians were finally forced by the adverse circumstances to leave the country and move to other nations USA being one of them (Schaeter, 2006).
The Italians were basically Catholics and once they entered the US, there was an anti-catholic spirit in the whole country which resulted in nativism that is favor directed to natives only and discrimination of immigrants. The very feeling was caused by Protestants who thought that the Pope wanted to move his capital city to the States of America. Samuel F.B. Morse who is the inventor of telegraph came up with article against Catholics. The article was termed as A Foreign Conspiracy against the Liberties of the United States. The suffering did not just end by words but there was serious killing of Catholics and destroying of a catholic convent in Boston (Schaeter, 2006. p. 99).
Just like other immigrants to the United States the Italians were not positively received by the American natives. In 1921 there was an enactment of policies which were meant to block the growth of immigration especially from Italy and other nations like Greece. The Italians were also discriminated in politics. In 1921, nativism as a political movement emphasized that it was only natives that ought to have been voted for thus locking out immigrants. The same year still, the Americans were worried about an increased number of immigrants from the southern Europe and so an affirmative action was established. There was an anti-immigration policy in addition with isolationism. The policy restricted more immigrants this is because after immigrating the Italians would go back to pick their relatives thus overflowing into the country (Schaeter, 2006. p. 99). There were also a literacy tests that were given in any language and an individual was expected to read about 30 words failure to which he or she would be restricted from entering America.. The policy restricted individuals from entering the country basing on the number of immigrants from his country previously.
The Americans also discriminated the Italians basing on their background they viewed them as people of low class, and lazy. In addition they were viewed as non intellectual and were therefore given low jobs such as street cleaning. Due to unemployment many Italians ended up doing odd jobs such as shoe making and since they were farmers in Italy they concentrated in farming. The Americans gave the Italians odd jobs and basically because they were uneducated, they were given low wages as compared to the natives. On the speech of the president of Mine indirectly addressing the Italians, he emphasized that the overflowing immigrants should know that America did not have enough jobs to give to illiterate and unskilled personnel (Gambino, 2003).
Glass ceiling was one of the discrimination directed to the Italians. Joseph Petrosino is an example of individuals who suffered from it. He was a police in the New York Police Department in 1883. During this period, he worked hard to end crime and this did not take long for the then president, Theodore Roosevelt to notice. He was then promoted to be in charge of NYC Police Division. He was made the Detective Sergeant in charge of Homicide Division. It is unfortunate that he was assassinated during his mission to track down some organized crime. Ever since then no Italian has ever risen to a Police Commissioner in the New York City. No matter how one is learned or skilled it has never happened this is an indication of discrimination. Of all the 50 US commissioners none has ever been Italian (Piccolo, 2009).
In the 1900-10 the income that an Italian family used to receive was far too low compared to that which an American born citizen family did. It was averagely 45 percent of the average income of the then USA native citizens. Not ruling out the fact that the Italians worked both the father as well as the immediate family members (Gambino, 2003. P 84)
The Italians were even more segregated when compared to the blacks at that at moment. They had poor housing although when they compared to the condition of their former homelands it was better. The environment was also filthy and they could not afford to better it since they would even deny themselves food so save money to help bring their other family members to America. They only managed to move to better homes after the Second World War (Gambino, 2003. P. 98). The Italians also inhabited regions which were highly associated with crime and this caused much of the segregation they were undergoing. The health facilities which the natives of America were enjoying were like a luxury to them. The police officers also mishandled them especially basing on the fact that their territories were highly associated with crime. (Oboler, 2006).
Discrimination adversely affected the Italian Americans though they did not give up since the conditions there were better than what they were going through at home. The segregation in housing, employments and even health sector were the main areas of segregation.
