Hist105 DB5

HIST105 DB5

Name

Class

Date

Professor

Italian Americans

Part One

Italians immigrated to America from Europe during many points in history and have always played a pivotal role in America’s urban development. When Italians reached America they became an integral part of the development of a free society. Italian Americans fought in the American Revolution for the freedom of colonist. In the 19th and 20th Century Italians made great contributions to art and brought opera to America (Talese, 2014). Italian American established a unique culture in America that consist of a combination of their former culture and the new American culture.

Italians contributed to the American culture through foods, such as pizza and pasta, and provided America with many unforgettable baseball players, such as Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio. Italian Americans have provided important political figures, such as the unforgettable John F. Kennedy, and have been great influential leaders in business. Italian Americans have made significant contributions to educations and have brought great actors, such as Rudolph Valentino and singers, such as Frank Sinatra.

Part Two

America is considered a melting pot because cultures from all over the world migrate to the United States seeking the American dream. When these different cultures arrive in America they adapt to the unique cultures present in the country. From the mosaic point of view, introduced by Jimmy Carter, when people from other culture migrate to America they do not change who they are but instead adapt their culture to develop a unique but individual culture that does not merge with other cultures in America but instead become an independent piece of the American mosaic (Todd, 2013). Instead of melting into one culture the culture assimilates.

Italian Americans have held tight to many important parts of their culture but they have also adapted their culture to American society. Instead of melting into the country they have developed a unique culture that is distinctly Italian but accepted by American society. This would make the mosaic theory more credible concerning the Italian American. If they were a part f a melting pot these would have lost a good deal of their identity which has not happened. Instead a unique Italian American culture has emerged.

References

Todd, W. (2013). An Immigrant’s View of Immigration, Part 3: Melting Pot vs. Mosaic.

Retrieved March 10, 2014 from

http://ohioconservativereview.com/2013/09/23/an-immigrants-view-of-immigration-part-3 /

Talese, G. (2014). Italian American Contribution. Retrieved March 10, 2014 from

https://www.niaf.org/research/contribution.asp#amrev