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American Italians

5/6/09
Course Paper – “American Italians”

Americans living in today’s society have a distorted image of what an Italian American is. Most people think Italian Americans just eat pasta and pizza, know someone in the Mafia, are Roman Catholic, and love their families. Those stereotypes can be true for some Americans that claim Italian heritage, but not for all. Those are the images that are portrayed of Italian Americans by the media. There is much more to being an Italian American. But being an Italian American is not just having family roots in Italy. Italian Americans are proud of their culture. Italians have a lot to be proud of with the Roman Empire, and the height of the Renaissance. Italy’s history is full of thinkers, inventors, military dominance, and a grand array of culture. Throughout history Italy produced the likes of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Machiavelli, Christopher Columbus, and so many other great people that have had an influential role in the world. Most Americans that claim Italian heritage know who these people are but cannot identify their contributions to the world. Whereas many of these Americans of Italian decent can identify the contributions to the world of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin. This is just the start of the problem of Americans who identify with their Italian heritage. Why should a person identify themselves with a group when they do not even know what it means to be Italian? As a whole, most multi-generational Italian Americans should be labeled as American Italians.
The reason for this change in terminology is because America is a constantly changing country. During the Great Migration from 1880 to 1922 3 million Italians had become legal American citizens. 80 years later many generations since have come and gone. So it is safe to say the majority of Americans that claim Italian decent are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation Italians. As generations pass, traditions and values...