From The Peopling of New York City
The jobs an Italian immigrant got usually depended on whether that immigrant came from northern Italy or southern Italy. Pre-1860 few Italians came to America and those who did were usually came from northern Italy. These Italian had some money and when they got to America they ended up starting some sort of business. Many of these Italian entered the food business becoming fruit merchants in big cities like New York City. Some Italians travelled west to become wine growers in the state of California.[1]
Italian immigrants who came post 1860 were usually unskilled workers from southern Italy. These men came to make money and send this money back to their family in Italy. These Italian immigrants headed for the big cities in search of a job. These Italian Americans never intended to make New York City their new home and so historians use the phrase “birds of passage” to describe these Italian immigrants. Those Italian who did make the journey with their family tried to make America their new home. The wife would help out by getting get a job that they could do at home so that the family ties would not suffer in the wife’s absence. Italian women got “piece work” jobs in which they made money per item they make.
Some of the jobs that Italian Americans had were tunnel diggers; layers of railroad tracks; bridge, road, and skyscraper construction. Many Italian immigrants were hired to help build the Brooklyn Bridge. These men took the job because it was a long-term project and that meant that they would be getting paid for a long time. The dangers behind building this magnificent bridge was no secret but Italian Americans continued working even after they witness the death of a fellow worker.
References
- ↑ Digital History. Italian Immigration. April 11,2009. historyonline/italian_immigration.cfm
- Return to Occupational Patterns
- Return to Italians