L'Italo-Americano

italoamericano-digital-10-13-2016

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS B etween 1820 and 1992 over five and a half mil- lion Italians left their homes to make new lives in the United States of America. They were following in the footsteps of early European explorers. And whilst the journeys weren't always easy the achievements of the Italian settlers and their thirty million descendants helped to shape American society and the history of the United States. So every year the US President cele- brates their contribution by pro- claiming October as National Italian American Heritage Month. Let's explore some of the people and milestones that punc- tuate the Italo-American story. An obvious place to start is with Cristoforo Colombo, or Columbus, native of the Republic of Genoa, sailor, navigator and explorer. Born in 1451 the Genovese voyager crossed the Atlantic four times between 1492 and 1503 in search of an alterna- tive spice route to the East Indies. And whilst he didn't find what he was looking for, his arrival in the so-called "new world" led to a period of European contact, exploration and colonization that would have a fundamental impact on the his- tory of the modern western world. We now know that Columbus wasn't the first person to set foot in America but he is certainly essential to the history of the con- tinent. But his biggest achieve- ment wasn't travelling to the new land, it was that he took news of it back to Europe. His explo- rations brought together two of the largest land masses in the world and would lead to a mas- sive expansion in human devel- opment, trade, migration and set- tlement. Despite all that, however, Columbus didn't enjoy the usual perk of ancient explorers as the new territory wasn't named after him. That honor went to another Italian. Amerigo Vespucci was a con- temporary of Columbus's, born just three years later in the Tuscan city of Florence. As a young man, he worked for the famous Italian Medici family and later in Seville, Spain. And fortu- itously, the Spanish Crown of Castile was looking for more explorers to sponsor, just as they had Columbus. So, in 1497, the Florentine found himself onboard a ship traversing the Atlantic. Like Columbus, he would make the crossing several times. But crucially, unlike Columbus, Vespucci realized that north and south America were different continents and not part of Asia. In honor of that breakthrough, his mapmaker, Martin Waldseemüler proposed that the land we now call Brazil be labeled America, the feminine version of Amerigo. The name stuck. Italians continued to arrive over the next couple of centuries. First came missionary-explorers such as Marco da Nizza, Eusebio Kino and Enrico Tonti. Through their work to establish new churches they also explored many lands previously unknown to the Europeans. Travelling through Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas and California, they extended the maps and sent reports of their findings back to Europe paving the way for mer- chants and settlers. Some histori- ans even name Tonti as the origi- nal founder of Illinois whilst his brother Alfonso helped to found Detroit. By the late 1770s a number of Italians had risen to become influential figures in American life. William Paca, for example, studied law in Annapolis before developing a career in legislature and the Continental Congress. He rejected British rule, using his own money to bankroll troops and was one of the bold patriots to sign the original Declaration of Independence in 1776. Similarly Francesco Vigo, another settler was central to bringing British colonial rule to an end by acting at the request of George Washington as an inter- mediary with Indian tribes, encouraging them to side against the imperialists. After independence the num- bers of Italians arriving in America rose exponentially as opportunities opened up. Scientists, scholars, engineers and entrepreneurs all made the Atlantic crossing to set up lives in the newly formed United States. Included in their number were inventors Antonio Meucci and Guglielmo Marconi who developed the telephone and radio respectively. New arrivals also brought their traditional food with them too opening restau- rants such as Mamma Leone's or Moretti's in New York, the latter being credited with introducing spaghetti, olives and Chianti to the Big Apple. Artists and singers made the crossing too. Six Piccirilli broth- ers from Tuscany arrived in 1888 and quickly established them- selves as sculptors, bringing mas- ter-craftsmen skills taught to them by their Tuscan father. Their Bronx-based studio became Celebrating National Italian American Heritage Month ELIZABETH SALTHOUSE Continued to page 3

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