Italian American Immigrants

For my research paper I want to get a better understanding of the treatment of Italian American immigrants during the time between the end of the nineteenth century up to around the time of the end of the Second World War, extending but beyond that if necessary. Through my initial research I've discovered that Italian Americans experienced large amounts of racial discrimination, stereotyping, and struggles of assimilation during this time. I want to understand why this discrimination occurred, and what changed to where Italians become a much more accepted group in the United States, even so much as earning the title of "white?" I'm interested to discover how Anti-Italian sentiment rose and feel in pre-war, wartime, and post-war America. I also want to understand how Italian Americans create a racial identity for themselves after they …show more content…
I am curious to know what their immigration experiences were like and how they ended up settling in these certain locations. Another interesting concept for me is the idea of Italians becoming "white", and I would like to research that further. How did Italian Americans go from being heavily discriminated against to becoming part of "white culture"? Did they have to give up some of their cultural roots in order to achieve this white status? I also want to understand exactly what the stereotypes of Italians were, how those stereotypes came into existence, and what the Italian immigrants themselves thought of these stereotypes. One stereotype I find particularly interesting is the idea that all Italians are connected to the mafia, and understanding the actual role of Italian immigrants in organized crime in America will help me to understand that. I'm curious to discover what the American understanding of Italian Americans was compared to the realities of their