Reason for emigration to U.S. in early 1900's?

Over 25 million Italians have emigrated between 1861 and 1960 with a migration boom between 1871 and 1915 when over 13,5 million emigrants left the country for European and overseas destinations.
Post Reply
jslice64
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 5
Joined: 03 Oct 2012, 01:12

Reason for emigration to U.S. in early 1900's?

Post by jslice64 »

I'm wondering if anyone knows of a good book to explain the reason so many Italians left Italy for the United States in the early 1900's? My own grandparents left Abruzzo and came to the U.S. in 1918 and 1920, but my dad never could give me a good answer as to why.

Any good books on the subject?

Thanks,
Jennifer DiBenedetto-Vanderslice
User avatar
Italysearcher
Master
Master
Posts: 3411
Joined: 06 Jan 2008, 19:58
Location: Sora, Italy
Contact:

Re: Reason for emigration to U.S. in early 1900's?

Post by Italysearcher »

Hunger is a powerful motivator.
Money arriving from overseas to support family members left behind looks very good.
Ann Tatangelo
http://angelresearch.net
Dual citizenship assistance, and document acquisition, on-site genealogical research in Lazio, Molise, Latina and Cosenza. Land record searches and succession.
User avatar
corrado
Elite
Elite
Posts: 382
Joined: 12 Dec 2006, 00:00
Location: Queens NY

Re: Reason for emigration to U.S. in early 1900's?

Post by corrado »

In lots of cases there was no food and poverty. Also the stories of the streets being paved with gold. When they got here they found the streets were not paved with gold, there were not even paved and they wanted the Italians to pave them. Lots of Italians went back. If you play at the genealogy game long enough you will see lots of that 40-50%.

There are plenty of good books on this subject if you look around.
jennabet
Master
Master
Posts: 1396
Joined: 14 Jul 2010, 20:28
Location: Ancestral Homeland - Abruzzo Italy

Re: Reason for emigration to U.S. in early 1900's?

Post by jennabet »

Italysearcher wrote:Hunger is a powerful motivator.
Money arriving from overseas to support family members left behind looks very good.
Agriculture has always been a prime industry in Italy. It did not have a famine and it's people were never starving as the Irish were. To this day, economic conditions could collapse but Italians would always have enough food on their tables.

Lack of work in Italy was always the prime motivator for Italians to move to America.
Post Reply