EXAMINING PATTERNS OF ITALIAN IMMIGRATION TO ...

economic crisis both in Southern and Northern Italy offered a push to emigrate. Thirdly, there
was a growing demand for labor in North America. Last but not least was the fact that in the
late nineteenth century Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay (three nations that attracted millions of
Italians before) underwent serious crises connected to rapid economic change and
development, and the flow of Italians was deflected to the United States.
As in many other places in the world, Italians in America clustered into groups related
to their place of origin. For example, the Sicilian resided in New Orleans, the Neapolitans and
Calabrians in Minnesota, and many Northern Italians in California. However, most of the
Italians were concentrated on the East Coast, in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and
Baltimore, just where they disembarked. Other groups decided to move away from the towns
of arrival and look for new economic opportunities elsewhere. To understand why Italians
were so clearly divided in different regional groups, one needs remember that until 1861, Italy
was not a united state. Only when Italians arrived in America they did realize what the
concept of nation meant. Italians came from a nation that struggled to become a state and at
the time of their departure they were still lacking a national consciousness. They most likely
identified with their village rather than with Italy. The center of the migrant’s concern
remained his hometown.
1.6 Italian and American laws
The Italian state did little to protect the emigrants during its first years. 12 The initial
negative judgments of the political elite on emigration led to administrative actions aimed at
preventing the departure of those lacking adequate financial means and/or a job at their
destination. The circolare Menabrea and the circolare Lanza 13 were promulgated in 1868 and
in 1873 respectively. In 1878 the circolare Nicotera mitigated these dispositions. The next
law, named after Crispi, was passed in 1888. This law recognized for the first time the
freedom to emigrate and paid some attention to the illicit acts of the agents of emigration and
12
Brunialti, Attilio. “L’esodo degli italiani e la legge sell’emigrazione”. In Nuova Antologia di Scienze , Lettere
ed Arti, Vol. XVI, C, Terza Serie, pp. 96-114.
13
Circolare is an official document issued by the government. These two circolari ordered the major offices of
the provinces to do as much as possible to prevent illegal emigration and to slow legal ones. In particular the
circolare Lanza gave instructions to the mayors to refuse the nulla osta (permit) to emigrate to young males of
the age to enter the army, to soldiers not through with army service, to disabled persons, and to anybody with
scarce financial means.
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