Economic Realities of Italian in Little Italy, Chicago

                Ever tasted the sweet sensation of cookeries in Chicago. In Little Italy, there are blocks and blocks of sweet shops that sell pastries and pastas. These shops were emerged by Italians coming to Chicago for jobs but their lives were not always easy to live in the economy of Chicago. Italians were not always the best group that American society would gladly make them fit in. They were Catholic, did not speak English, and showed their culture instead of assimilating which made them harder to find jobs. This did not stop them from working hard and eventually earn their spot of where they should really be in American society. Of course they earn their spot by working and prevailing in their limited jobs they have when they first got to Little Italy and made their name in the neighborhood.  

               The mass waves of Italian immigrants made businesses flourish. Cookeries became the most popular ethnic cuisines in America that resulted in successful bakeries and restaurants. By 1925 the Italians owned 500 grocery stores, 257 restaurants, 240 pastry shops, and many food related business. Italian also worked in railroads, factories, labor intensive jobs, and construction sites. The International Hod Carriers and Building Laborers' Union of America controlled by dishonest laborers. This union made some considerably progress in increasing wages in many places like Chicago but was take down by the government. Italians had the background of farming but realized quickly that they needed money to invest lands and pay for equipment and also a fare for the railroad on the countryside. The Italians later moved to the city because they wanted to be close to their own kind and had many job opportunities with low standard wages. With women not having the same opportunities as men, many worked in textile factories sewing clothing products. Mining was quite popular to work due to having lots of room for people to hire. Mining accidents often occur with caves collapsed upon miners. Children as low as ten years old worked in full-time job. An Italian family wanted to have each family member work in someway shape and form to help support their budget. 

                Here shows a fifteen year boy working as a messenger for a telegraph company which shows Italians families wanting their children to help support them. Having a fifteen year boy smoking shows that parents do not care what the child does as long as the child is financially supporting the family. Kids today seeing this photo might be thinking about education, condition, and if he was brought up right. Well Italian children dropped out of school due to both not liking and supporting their family. With making less than a dollar per day, they often lived independent and also their family don't care about them so they brought things they shouldn't have like pipes because they don't know that smoking is bad for your health. 

              This shows an Italian market. It shows Italians being merchants and trade with local people. Many skilled Italians merchants open their own shop and traded with people living in Chicago. This prevented Italian men of having to work in dangerous and bad working conditions such as mining that could possibly lead to death. They were fortunate enough to be skilled with trading because if they didn't have this skill, then the competition between the Irish and the Italian would increase.  The market consisted fish stores, sweet shops, and pastry shops. The Italian made shops with their skilled trading system they made a market after them. The market is beginning to show the social aspect of Italians on their community with trading to their own kin, but also to the people who didn't even want them to come to the United States. Trading to many people can make their businesses flourish and raise the economy that results in making the financial life easier. 

             Many Italians were not famous in society due to their class and the jobs they have so they could easily be framed of a crime.This song shows a tribute to Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti two Italians immigrants who were electrocuted for first-degree murder on a guard and the cashier of a shoe company. They both did an anarchist movement against the violence and oppressive government. Sacco was a shoemaker and back then it was not prominent but he worked in the Slater-Morrill Shoe Factory and Vanzetti worked as fish seller. Both jobs was not big between 1870-1930 so hearing theirs was rare. Their financial life was hard with both making less than two dollars per week. Both were convicted with murder by fitting the qualifications of the actual robbers. Fit in as Italian  
anarchists, and Sacco had the same bullets of the crime scene when they were arrested and inspected. Imagine if Sacco and Vanzetti had prominent jobs instead of jobs that had no income. Then their names would be heard and wouldn't gotten the police to be suspicious of them due to knowing who they were and fit the qualifications. How the economic realities of a person could make a difference if that person had a job that could make a salary versus a job just enough to make a living or even less.  

            Finally, the realities of Italian in the economy of Little Italy Chicago was rough especially in 1870 to 1930 but they eventually pulled through. The jobs they had to work were bad, bad enough to cause death and overworked. With having limited jobs opportunity due to having racial prejudice they still worked hard with the jobs they have and made the economy go to their way. The Italians in the near future made a neighborhood we known today as Little Italy that subsides the harsh economy realities they were living in.

Social Activities

            Chicago’s famous Little Italy founded one of the richest cultures outside of a home country. From the end of the 18^th and the beginning of the 19^th century, Italians, mostly male, immigrated to escape extreme poverty. America would provide them with religious freedom, economic opportunities and independence to practice their distinct culture. The heavy reliance on religion brought the Italian community in Chicago together; compared to their divide country of provinces. In continuation, The Italians cuisine is a large contributing factor to their well-known culture which provided them with unique business advances.

            Early Italian immigrants, strictly Roman Catholic, desired to continue their religious practices. Almost as if to develop their demise even further, Irish American clergies dominated most of the churches (Italian Imm.) - hatred towards Irish branched from the constant fight over jobs such as working on railroads or in factories. The role of the church was an essential aspect to Italian life – “[i]talian Americans showed their faith more externally and emotionally then Irish Americans… placed more emphasis on the saints” (Petrini 75) - as more Italians came over many established their own parishes. As they built religious architecture around towns, many churches became the center for social gatherings. Parks for children and homes expanded around the parishes, developing the importance of religion into their everyday life.              

Although many cultural customs stayed with Italian immigrants, relating to religion, marriage traditions diluted due to the language barrier and social behaviors regarding it: “[a]ccording to Italian tradition, not just the couple but their parents had to agree on the match” (Petrini 30). So the majority of single men that came to America desired to return home for marriage even though this was incredibly difficult. Many historians today call these immigrants “birds of passage”, which referred to people that never planned on making the states a permanent home (Digital). When one would return home, the American attitudes and new found wealth changed the expectations and ambitions of young Italians back at home, alluring them to leave (Petrini 32).

             Family was at the heart of every Italian community. A traditional Italian family was “father-headed, but mother-centered” (Italian Amer.). Women inside the home had significant roles in keeping the family network afloat; although outside the home women were not allowed to receive education and employment. Due to such traditional upbringings many generations began to see tensions arise; one example of this refers to women’s right to proper education around the 1930’s. In addition to the father, children were expected to help by providing labor and assistance (Italian Amer.). Many worked in factories or in the home with their mother. Schooling for children didn’t become of much importance due to American schools unable to compensate for their difference in language. Although Italians failure to learn English held them back academically, it helped them feel connected to each other, bringing a family dynamic to the area (Petrini 81).   

Later on, around the 1920’s many Italians were criticized for their character in regards to the prohibition period and their “gangster” persona perpetuated through films and literature (Italian Amer.). Many faced verbal abuse, insulting stereotypes, and physical violence (Petrini 89), which in response this probably brought them together even more than before. Prior, through xenophobia and Americanization, congress began to limit immigrants, especially Italians. Even during World War II Italian immigrants faced this hostility as a result of America fighting their home country who sided with Germany. Italian families and areas stuck together holding on to their strict beliefs as they have done before.    

 Religion and family is a crucial element of Italians that enriched Little Italy, another importance, that still shows today, is the food. When Italians came to America they brought their delicacies with them, which was considered exotic to Americans who have never experienced an Italians plate. This influenced the Italians to re-create their home dishes and making roof top gardens which incorporated traditional produce, kept their heritage alive (Petrini 77). Today Italian cooking has dramatically distanced itself from the traditional meals, which would incorporate coarse black bread, wine, and specialty dishes on holidays. The Americanized dishes such as pizza and spaghetti and meatballs are not generally known in Italy (Italian Amer.) these deriving from the original ideas of Italian cuisine fails to include the ingredients they rely heavy on.   

              Overall socially, Italians in Little Italy of Chicago were like most Italian immigrants coming to America from 1870 to 1930’s. Their family and religious traditions were held upon a very high pedestal, being the most important thing culturally that brought them together. Through judgements they continued to thrive publically by staying together. In addition to culture, their extravagant menu excites Americans still today with memorable dishes and restaurants that are sprinkled over Little Italy.         

This video shows the importance of Italian cuisine in their culture, expressed through the many restaurants that are still standing today in Chicago's Little Italy neighborhood.