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94-468: The site of the town has been populated since prehistoric times, as many archaeological excavations have shown through the years. Its documented history begins in 409 BC after the second Battle of Himera when its more ancient neighbour, Himera (now completely within the comune's borders), was completely destroyed by the Carthaginian army under Hannibal Mago . Those who survived the devastation moved to

188-684: A Jewish Italian immigrant, was one of the founders and first president of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. Also during this period, there was a growing presence of Italian Americans in higher education. Vincenzo Botta was a distinguished professor of Italian at New York University from 1856 to 1894, and Gaetano Lanza was a professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for over 40 years, beginning in 1871. Anthony Ghio became

282-623: A Syracusan general, chose to use the sack of Himera to set up a base at Selinus around 407 and raid the territories of Motya and Panormus, which provoked a strong Carthaginian response and almost the whole of Sicily fell under Carthaginian domination by 405. Italian American 5,953,262 (1.8%) Italian alone 2021 estimates, self-reported 17,285,619 (2015) 17,566,693 (2010) 17,829,184 (2006) 16,688,000 (2000) 14,664,550 (1990) 12,183,692 (1980) Italian Americans ( Italian : italoamericani ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. According to

376-456: A Union Flag and an Italian flag with the words Dio e popolo, meaning "God and people." In 1861, Garibaldi himself volunteered his services to President Abraham Lincoln . Garibaldi was offered a major general's commission in the U.S. Army through the letter from Secretary of State William H. Seward to H. S. Sanford , the U.S. minister at Brussels , July 17, 1861. From 1880 to 1914, 13 million Italians migrated out of Italy , making Italy

470-648: A cargo of wine, and his wife Mary, who went on to own one of the oldest coffee houses in America, the Merchant Coffee House of New York on Wall Street at Water Street. Her Merchant Coffee House moved across Wall Street in 1772, retaining the same name and patronage. Today, the descendants of the Alberti-Burtis, Taliaferro, Reggio, and other early families are found all across the United States. This period saw

564-562: A counterattack with the force he had held in reserve at the other camp (to the west of Himera), routed the Greeks and chased them back into the city, with 3,000 Greeks losing their lives in the debacle. The main Syracusan fleet was away from Sicily, but 25 triremes had arrived at Himera after the battle from Syracuse. As the Carthaginian fleet was at Motya, their arrival gave the Greeks command of

658-586: A few small settlements. Italian navigators and explorers played a key role in the exploration and settlement of the Americas by Europeans . Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus ( Italian : Cristoforo Colombo [kriˈstɔːforo koˈlombo] ) completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean for the Catholic monarchs of Spain , opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of

752-441: A group of musicians from Sicily to form a military band, later to become the nucleus of the U.S. Marine Band . The musicians included the young Venerando Pulizzi , who became the first Italian director of the band and served in this capacity from 1816 to 1827. Francesco Maria Scala , an Italian-born naturalized American citizen, was one of the most important and influential directors of the U.S. Marine Band, from 1855 to 1871, and

846-642: A missionary and expert in Indian languages, ministered to European colonists and Native Americans in Wisconsin and Iowa for 34 years and, after his death, was declared Venerable by the Catholic Church. Father Charles Constantine Pise , a Jesuit, served as Chaplain of the Senate from 1832 to 1833, the only Catholic priest ever chosen to serve in this capacity. In 1833, Lorenzo Da Ponte , formerly Mozart's librettist and

940-715: A naturalized U.S. citizen, founded the first opera house in the United States, the Italian Opera House in New York City, which was the predecessor of the New York Academy of Music and of the New York Metropolitan Opera . Missionaries of the Jesuit and Franciscan orders were active in many parts of America. Italian Jesuits founded numerous missions, schools, and two colleges in the west. Giovanni Nobili founded

1034-472: A royal city; it subsequently became one of 42 città demaniali , cities administered directly by the crown rather than local nobility. Above all, from the Middle Ages through the beginning of the 19th century, Termini served as a major center for the collection and shipping of grain and other foodstuffs stored and subjected to duty in a special government warehouse complex (the caricatore regio ). The presence of

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1128-472: A site then called "Thermae" which is today known as Termini and became the successor to Himera. The new town of Thermae or Therma, called for the sake of distinction Thermae Himerenses, obviously derived its name from the hot springs for which it was celebrated, and the first discovery of which was connected by legends with the wanderings of Hercules . It appears to have quickly become a considerable town, though it continued to be subject to Carthaginian rule. In

1222-478: A small shield, same as Iberian light infantry. The Iberian infantry wore purple-bordered white tunics and leather headgear. The heavy infantry fought in a dense phalanx, armed with heavy throwing spears, long body shields, and short thrusting swords. Campanian , Sicel, Sardinian, and Gallic infantry fought in their native gear, but often were equipped by Carthage. Sicels and other Sicilians were equipped like Greek hoplites . The Libyans, Carthaginian citizens, and

1316-474: A small stream of new arrivals from Italy. Some brought skills in agriculture and the making of glass, silk and wine, while others brought skills as musicians. In 1773–1785, Filippo Mazzei , a physician, philosopher, diplomat, promoter of liberty, and author, was a close friend and confidant of Thomas Jefferson . He published a pamphlet containing the phrase, "All men are by nature equally free and independent," which Jefferson incorporated essentially intact into

1410-480: A square plinth of 6 m sides. On five of the sides were windows and from the east side the conduit started. On this tower was once a large inscription, now disappeared: aquae Cornealiae ductus p. XX . The last letters ("twenty feet") perhaps corresponds to the sides of the building. Later it seems that the aqueduct passed further downstream: in Figurella a double-order bridge of arches is still visible (originally nine in

1504-586: A time when the mainland Greek cities were locked in the Peloponnesian War , and Syracuse, an ally of Sparta , was not focused on Sicily. The Syracusan fleet was operating in the Aegean Sea . Hannibal Mago sent two expeditions to Sicily, the first one in 410 which drove the Selinute army from Segestan territory, and the second one obliterated Selinus after besieging the city in 409. The mission given to Hannibal by

1598-592: A war followed where Carthage destroyed the city of Hereclea Minoa. Carthage signed treaties with the cities of Selinus, Himera, and Zankle by 490. The pretext for launching the Punic Sicilian expedition of 480 was the restoration of the deposed tyrant of Himera. The Sicilian Greeks under the tyrants Gelo of Syracuse and Theron of Akragas had crushed the Punic expedition in the 1st battle of Himera in 480 BC . Carthage had stayed away from Sicilian Greek affairs following

1692-568: Is credited with inventing the earliest version of an ice cream cone in 1898. Another Italian immigrant, Giuseppe Bellanca , brought with him in 1912 an advanced aircraft design, which he began producing. One of Bellanca's planes, piloted by Cesare Sabelli and George Pond, made one of the first nonstop trans-Atlantic flights in 1934. Several families, including the Grucci , Zambelli , and Vitale families, brought with them expertise in fireworks displays, and their preeminence in this field has continued to

1786-792: Is currently unknown; however, a 1671 Dutch record indicates that in 1656 alone the Duchy of Savoy near Turin , Italy, had exiled 300 Waldensians because of their Protestant faith. Enrico Tonti (Henri de Tonti), together with the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle , explored the Great Lakes region. De Tonti founded the first European settlement in Illinois in 1679 and in Arkansas in 1683, known as Poste de Arkansea , making him "The Father of Arkansas." With LaSalle, he co-founded New Orleans and

1880-816: Is displayed in the United States Capitol Visitor Center . The Taliaferro family (originally Tagliaferro ), believed to have roots in Venice , was one of the First Families to settle Virginia . The Wythe House , a historic Georgian home built in Williamsburg, Virginia , in 1754, was designed by architect Richard Taliaferro for his son-in-law, American Founding Father George Wythe , who married Richard's daughter Elizabeth Taliaferro. The elder Taliaferro designed much of Colonial Williamsburg , including

1974-505: Is mentioned by Pliny and must refer to this town, though he seems to confuse it with Thermae Selinuntiae (modern Sciacca ) on the south coast which was not a colony . There are few subsequent accounts of Thermae; but, as its name is found in Ptolemy and the Itineraries, and from the impressive aqueduct and some other remains it appears to have continued in existence throughout the period of

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2068-511: Is the largest and best preserved of the island. The source was located 5 km east of the city, at the foot of Monte San Calogero where the remains of the two settling tanks can still be seen in the locality of Brucato. The aqueduct needed to cross the Barratina stream and the earliest the crossing was made at Fontana Superiore with a siphon about 600 m long, of which the well preserved hexagonal compression tower remains, 16 m high and resting on

2162-638: The Bank of America . His bank also provided financing to the film industry developing on the West Coast at the time, including the financing for Walt Disney's Snow White , the first full-length animated motion picture to be made in the United States. Other companies founded by Italian Americans—such as Ghirardelli Chocolate Company , Progresso , Planters Peanuts , Contadina , Chef Boyardee , Italian Swiss Colony wines, and Jacuzzi —became nationally known brand names in time. An Italian immigrant, Italo Marciony (Marcioni),

2256-551: The Battle of the Little Bighorn . An immigrant, Antonio Meucci , brought with him a concept for the telephone. He is credited by many researchers with being the first to demonstrate the principle of the telephone in a patent caveat he submitted to the U.S. Patent Office in 1871; however, considerable controversy existed relative to the priority of invention, with Alexander Graham Bell also being accorded this distinction. (In 2002,

2350-807: The Declaration of Independence . Italian Americans served in the American Revolutionary War both as soldiers and officers. Francesco Vigo aided the colonial forces of George Rogers Clark by serving as one of the foremost financiers of the Revolution in the frontier Northwest. Later, he was a co-founder of Vincennes University in Indiana . After American independence, numerous political refugees arrived, most notably Giuseppe Avezzana , Alessandro Gavazzi , Silvio Pellico , Federico Confalonieri , and Eleuterio Felice Foresti . Giuseppe Garibaldi resided in

2444-576: The First Punic War its name is repeatedly mentioned. In 260 BC, a body of Roman troops were encamped in the neighbourhood when they were attacked by Hamilcar and defeated with heavy loss. Before the close of the First Punic War (241 BC), Thermae was besieged and taken by the Romans but the city seems to have been treated with unusual favour by its conquerors. Cicero tells us that the Romans allowed

2538-800: The Governor's Palace , the Capitol of the Colony of Virginia , and the President's House at the College of William & Mary . Francesco Maria de Reggio, an Italian nobleman of the House of Este who served under the French as François Marie, Chevalier de Reggio , came to Louisiana in 1747 where King Louis XV appointed him Captain General of French Louisiana , until 1763. Scion of

2632-508: The Roman Empire , and probably never ceased to be inhabited, as the modern town of Termini Imerese retains the ancient site as well as name. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the city entered a period of decline. Termini continued to exist as a bishopric until the 12th century, though the list of bishops contains various gaps and uncertainties. Under Norman rule , the city was at first

2726-639: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on Meucci (H.R. 269) declaring that "his work in the invention of the telephone should be acknowledged.") During this period, Italian Americans established a number of institutions of higher learning. Las Vegas College (now Regis University ) was established by a group of exiled Italian Jesuits in 1877 in Las Vegas , New Mexico. The Jesuit Giuseppe Cataldo , founded Gonzaga College (now Gonzaga University ) in Spokane , Washington in 1887. In 1886, Rabbi Sabato Morais ,

2820-531: The caricatore improved the fortunes of the city, turning it into one of the major ports of Sicily and strengthening its commercial relationships with the maritime republics of Genoa , Pisa and Venice as well as the major Mediterranean ports (Marseille, Barcelona, etc.) and, during the 16th century, those of the Atlantic. Towards the end of the 18th century, Termini became the site of the Ereina Imerese branch of

2914-503: The congress of Gela in 424. The Elymian city of Segesta had clashed with Selinus over territorial rights and marriage issues and had been worsted in the conflict. After an appeal to Carthage was turned down in 415, Athens heeded the plea for help and sent over an expedition that was ultimately defeated at Syracuse in 413. Faced with renewed hostility from Selinus, Segesta again appealed to Carthage in 410. The Carthaginian Senate, after some debate, agreed to intervene. This appeal came at

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3008-481: The 17th century. They were of French and northern Italian heritage (specifically Piedmontese ), The first Waldensians began arriving around 1640, with the majority coming between 1654 and 1663. They spread out across what was then called New Netherland and what would become New York , New Jersey , and the Lower Delaware River regions. The total American Waldensian population that immigrated to New Netherland

3102-502: The 1920s 455,315 immigrants arrived. They came under the terms of the new quota-based immigration restrictions created by the Immigration Act of 1924 . Italian-Americans had a significant influence on American society and culture, making contributions to visual arts, literature, cuisine, politics, sports, and music. Italians in the United States before 1880 included a number of explorers, starting with Christopher Columbus , and

3196-508: The 1920s. Many sought housing in the older sections of the large Northeastern cities—districts that became known as " Little Italys ." Such housing was frequently in overcrowded, substandard tenements, which were often dimly lit and had poor heating and ventilation. Tuberculosis and other communicable diseases were a constant health threat for the immigrant families that were compelled by economic circumstances to live in these dwellings. Other immigrant families lived in single-family abodes, which

3290-478: The Americas , was balanced at the beginning of the 20th century by immigration from Agrigento , Messina and Ragusa . Between 1970 and 2011, Termini was home to a large Fiat automobile manufacturing facility, where small cars such as the 126 , the original Panda , and the Punto have been manufactured. The plant was the sole assembly site for the second generation Lancia Ypsilon built between 2005 and 2011. In 2006

3384-651: The Americas. Another Italian, John Cabot ( Italian : Giovanni Caboto [dʒoˈvanni kaˈbɔːto] ), together with his son Sebastian , explored the eastern seaboard of North America for Henry VII in the early 16th century. In 1524, the Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano ( Italian: [dʒoˈvanni da (v)verratˈtsaːno] ) was the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between Florida and New Brunswick in 1524. The Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci ( Italian: [ameˈriːɡo veˈsputtʃi] ) first demonstrated in about 1501 that

3478-586: The Capitol. The first Columbus Day celebration was organized by Italian Americans in New York City on October 12, 1866. Giovanni Martino or Giovanni Martini, also known as John Martin, was a soldier and trumpeter who served both in Italy with Giuseppe Garibaldi and in the United States Army , famously in the 7th Cavalry Regiment under George Armstrong Custer . He was the only survivor from Custer's company at

3572-482: The Carthaginian Senate was fulfilled with the fall of Selinus. However, Hannibal chose to march on Himera and avenge the defeat of his grandfather 70 years before. Carthage is said to have mobilized 120,000 men, including 4,000 cavalry, recruited from Africa, Sardinia, Spain, and even Sicilian Greeks for the Selinute campaign in 409, but a realistic estimate is around 40,000 soldiers. The Carthaginian army, after

3666-661: The Ereina di Palermo academy, followed soon thereafter by the establishment of the Accademia Euracea, later the Accademia Mediterranea Euracea. In the 19th century, however, the closing of the caricatore precipitated a profound economic crisis that lasted until the end of the 20th century, when artisanal and proto-industrial activity began to replace the traditional agricultural base of the city's economy. A period of population decline, linked primarily to emigration to

3760-463: The Greeks launched a surprise attack on the Punic lines, probably on the forces posted to the south of the city. The Greeks achieved total surprise and in the confusion, Carthaginian troops fought each other as well as Greeks. As the Carthaginians ultimately broke and fled after losing about 6,000 soldiers, Greek soldiers went after the scattered remnants of their enemy. At this point, Hannibal launched

3854-567: The Italian American Studies Association, the current population is about 18 million, an increase from 16 million in 2010, corresponding to about 5.4% of the total population of the United States . The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas , with significant communities also residing in many other major U.S. metropolitan areas. Between 1820 and 2004, approximately 5.5 million Italians migrated to

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3948-504: The Italians who entered the United States between 1899 and 1924 permanently returned home. Immigrants without industrial skills found employment in low-wage manual labor jobs. Instead of finding jobs on their own, most used the padrone system whereby Italian middlemen ( padroni ) found jobs for groups of men and controlled their wages, transportation, and living conditions for a fee. According to historian Alfred T. Banfield: In terms of

4042-578: The Libyo-Phoenicians provided disciplined, well-trained cavalry equipped with thrusting spears and round shields. Numidia provided superb light cavalry armed with bundles of javelins and riding without bridle or saddle. Iberians and Gauls also provided cavalry, which relied on the all-out charge. Carthage at this time did not use elephants, but Libyans provided the bulk of the heavy, four-horse war chariots for Carthage, which were not present at Himera in 409. Carthaginian officer corps held overall command of

4136-478: The New World was not Asia as initially conjectured but a different continent ( America is named after him). A number of Italian navigators and explorers in the employ of Spain and France were involved in exploring and mapping their territories and in establishing settlements, but their work did not lead to the permanent presence of Italians in America. In 1539, Marco da Nizza explored the territory that later became

4230-590: The New York City area. He was again a member of the State Assembly (New York Co., 16th D.) in 1877 , 1881 , and 1883 . Between 5,000 and 10,000 Italian Americans fought in the American Civil War . The great majority of Italian Americans, for both demographic and ideological reasons, served in the Union Army (including generals Edward Ferrero and Francis B. Spinola ). Some Americans of Italian descent from

4324-423: The Punic army had managed to secure a gap in the wall, and also the sections of the wall flanking the gap. This held off the Greeks until the Carthaginian army stormed the city through the gap, and the reduced garrison of Himera was overcome by the weight of numbers. Hannibal sacrificed 3,000 Greek prisoners at the place where Hamilcar, his grandfather and leader of the 480 expedition, had fallen. The city of Himera

4418-693: The Santa Clara College (now Santa Clara University ) in 1851. The St. Ignatius Academy (now University of San Francisco ) was established by Anthony Maraschi in 1855. The Italian Jesuits also laid the foundation for the winemaking industry that would later flourish in California . In the east, the Italian Franciscans founded hospitals, orphanages, schools, and St. Bonaventure College (now St. Bonaventure University ), established by Pamfilo da Magliano in 1858. In 1837, John Phinizy (Finizzi) became

4512-491: The Thermitani to govern their city and territory with their own laws as a reward for their steady fidelity. As they were on hostile terms with Rome during the First Punic War, it can only be to the subsequent period that this "fidelity" applies. In the time of Cicero (80-40 BC), Thermae appears to have been a flourishing place, carrying on a considerable amount of trade, though he speaks of it as oppidum non maximum . He attested

4606-641: The U.S. from Tuscany . Beginning in 1863, Italian immigrants were one of the principal groups of unskilled laborers, along with the Irish, that built the Transcontinental Railroad west from Omaha , Nebraska. In 1866, Constantino Brumidi completed the frescoed interior of the United States Capitol dome in Washington, D.C. , and spent the rest of his life executing still other artworks to beautify

4700-708: The United States (1890–1900) posed a change in the labor market, prompting Fr. Michael J. Henry to write a letter in October 1900 to the Bishop John J. Clancy of Sligo , Ireland , warning The Brooklyn Eagle , in a 1900 article, addressed the same reality: In spite of the economic hardship of the immigrants, civil and social life flourished in the Italian American neighborhoods of the large northeastern cities. Italian theater, band concerts, choral recitals, puppet shows, mutual aid societies, and social clubs were available to

4794-514: The United States during the Italian diaspora , in several distinct waves, with the greatest number arriving in the 20th century from Southern Italy . Initially, most single men, so-called birds of passage, sent remittance back to their families in Italy and then returned to Italy. Immigration began to increase during the 1880s, when more than twice as many Italians immigrated than had in the five previous decades combined. Continuing from 1880 to 1914,

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4888-460: The United States in 1850–51. At the invitation of Thomas Jefferson, Carlo Bellini became the first professor of modern languages at the College of William & Mary , in the years 1779–1803. In 1801, Philip Trajetta (Filippo Traetta) established the nation's first conservatory of music in Boston, where, in the first half of the century, organist Charles Nolcini and conductor Louis Ostinelli were also active. In 1805, Thomas Jefferson recruited

4982-426: The West. In 1789–91, Alessandro Malaspina mapped much of the west coast of the Americas , from Cape Horn to the Gulf of Alaska . In 1822–23, the headwater region of the Mississippi was explored by Giacomo Beltrami in the territory that was later to become Minnesota , which named a county in his honor. Joseph Rosati was named the first Catholic bishop of St. Louis in 1824. In 1830–64, Samuel Mazzuchelli ,

5076-399: The army, although many units may have fought under their chieftains. The mainstay of the Greek army was the hoplite , drawn mainly from the citizens and mercenaries. Sicels and other native Sicilians also served in the army as hoplites and also supplied peltasts , which is a unit where the poorer citizens also served. The phalanx was the standard fighting formation of the army. The cavalry

5170-494: The battle of Selinus, had been reinforced by 20,000 Sicel and Elymian soldiers on the way to Himera, boosting its strength to 50,000 soldiers at that point. The Carthaginian army was made up of many nationalities. The Libyans supplied both heavy and light infantry and formed the most disciplined units of the army. The heavy infantry fought in close formation, armed with long spears and round shields, wearing helmets and linen cuirasses. The light Libyan infantry carried javelins and

5264-462: The city of Himera in Sicily in 409 between the Carthaginian forces under Hannibal Mago (a king of Carthage of the Magonid family, not the famous Hannibal of the Barcid family) and the Ionian Greeks of Himera aided by an army and a fleet from Syracuse . Hannibal, acting under the instructions of the Carthaginian senate, had previously sacked and destroyed the city of Selinus after the Battle of Selinus in 409. Hannibal then destroyed Himera which

5358-408: The city. Diocles marched out of the city with half the men and all his troops at night, the Syracusan ships evacuated as many of the women and children as possible. The Carthaginians resumed their assaults the next day. The city managed to hold out for one day. Just as the Syracusan fleet was returning and was within sight of the city the following day, the Carthaginians broke through. Iberian troops of

5452-418: The city. Instead of building a circumvallation wall and fully investing the city, the Carthaginians assaulted the walls with the help of siege towers and battering rams after setting up their camps. However, the city walls withstood the attack and no breaches could be made for the Punic infantry to exploit. Hannibal then sent sappers, who dug tunnels under the walls and collapsed sections of it by setting fire to

5546-402: The country as a condition for payment of their passage. It was not uncommon, especially in the South, for the immigrants to be subjected to economic exploitation, hostility, and sometimes even violence. The Italian laborers who went to these areas were in many cases later joined by wives and children, which resulted in the establishment of permanent Italian American settlements in diverse parts of

5640-413: The country. A number of towns, such as Roseto, Pennsylvania , Tontitown, Arkansas , and Valdese, North Carolina , were founded by Italian immigrants during this era. A number of major business ventures were founded by Italian Americans. Amadeo Giannini originated the concept of branch banking to serve the Italian American community in San Francisco . He founded the Bank of Italy, which later became

5734-401: The de Reggios, a Louisiana Creole first family of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana , Francesco Maria's granddaughter Hélène Judith de Reggio would give birth to famed Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard . A colonial merchant, Francis Ferrari of Genoa, was naturalized as a citizen of Rhode Island in 1752. He died in 1753, and in his will speaks of Genoa , his ownership of three ships,

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5828-480: The defeat for 70 years, during which time Greek culture started to penetrate the Elymian, Sikanian, and Sicel cities. The political landscape in Sicily also changed as Greek tyrants were replaced by democracy and oligarchy, the domain of Syracuse shrunk, and infighting between Greek cities flared up in Sicily. Athens had sent fleets to Sicily in 427, 425, and 424 to intervene, which caused Hermocrates of Syracuse to request all Sicilian Greek cities to remain at peace at

5922-426: The disbanded Army of the Two Sicilies , which was defeated by Giuseppe Garibaldi after the Expedition of the Thousand , fought in the Confederate Army. They included Confederate generals William B. Taliaferro (of English-American and Anglo-Italian descent) and P. G. T. Beauregard . Six Italian Americans received the Medal of Honor during the war, including Colonel Luigi Palma di Cesnola , who later became

6016-515: The first director of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New York (1879–1904). The Garibaldi Guard recruited volunteers for the Union Army from Italy and other European countries to form the 39th New York Infantry . At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Giuseppe Garibaldi was a very popular figure. The 39th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment , with 350 Italian members, was nicknamed Garibaldi Guard in his honor. The unit wore red shirts and bersaglieri plumes . They carried with them both

6110-444: The fleet, where he was received with honors. Himera as a city would never be rebuilt again. The survivors of Himera built a city called Thermae nearby, which housed a mixed population of Greeks and Phoenicians. The Greek response to the sack of Himera was mild. Syracuse chose to expand her fleet and Akragas began to expand her army, but no official action was taken against Carthage or the Punic territory in Western Sicily. Hermocrates ,

6204-437: The garment industry or in their homes. Many established small businesses in the Little Italys to satisfy the day-to-day needs of fellow immigrants. A New York Times article from 1895 provides a glimpse into the status of Italian immigration at the turn of the century: The New York Times in May 1896 sent its reporters to characterize the Little Italy/Mulberry neighborhood: The masses of Italian immigrants that entered

6298-409: The greatest surge of immigration brought more than 4 million Italians to the United States. The largest number of this wave came from Southern Italy, which at that time was largely agricultural and where much of the populace had been impoverished by centuries of foreign rule and heavy tax burdens. This period of large-scale immigration ended abruptly with the onset of World War I in August 1914. In

6392-442: The immigrants a sense of unity and common identity. The destinations of many of the Italian immigrants were not only the large cities of the East Coast , but also more remote regions of the country, such as Florida and California. They were drawn there by opportunities in agriculture, fishing, mining, railroad construction, lumbering, and other activities under way at the time. Often the immigrants contracted to work in these areas of

6486-448: The immigrants. An important event, the festa , became for many an important connection to the traditions of their ancestral villages in Italy. The festa involved an elaborate procession through the streets in honor of a patron saint or the Virgin Mary in which a large statue was carried by a team of men, with musicians marching behind. Followed by food, fireworks, and general merriment, the festa became an important occasion that helped give

6580-461: The large exodus included political and social unrest, the weak agricultural economy of the South modeled on the outdated latifundist system dating back to the feudal period, a high tax burden, soil exhaustion and erosion, and military conscription lasting seven years. The poor economic situation in the 19th century became untenable for many sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and small business and land owners. Multitudes chose to emigrate rather than face

6674-410: The lower, fifteen in the upper: two arches for each order collapsed), 14 m high. The structure with facing blocks is the same as that of the amphitheatre and the curia and shows that it belongs to the same building project of the Augustan colony. Battle of Himera (409 BC) Near the site of the first battle and great Carthaginian defeat of 480 BC, the Second Battle of Himera was fought near

6768-532: The magnificence of the ancient city and the taste of its citizens for the encouragement of art, calling it in primis Siciliae clarum et ornatum as statues were preserved by the Thermitani to whom they had been restored by Scipio after the conquest of Carthage. It seems to have become a colony in the time of Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD), whence we find mention in inscriptions of the Ordo et Populus splendidissimae Coloniae Augustae Himeraeorum Thermitanorum . Thermae colonia

6862-429: The mayor of Augusta , Georgia. Samuel Wilds Trotti of South Carolina was the first Italian American to serve in the U.S. Congress (a partial term, from December 17, 1842, to March 3, 1843). In 1849, Francesco de Casale began publishing the Italian American newspaper L'Eco d'Italia in New York, the first of many to eventually follow. In 1848, Francis Ramacciotti , piano string inventor and manufacturer, immigrated to

6956-504: The mayor of Texarkana , Texas in 1880. Francis B. Spinola , the first Italian American to be elected to the United States House of Representatives , served as a representative from New York from 1887 to 1891. He also served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War . Following the war, Spinola was a banker and insurance agent and became an influential figure among the rapidly growing Italian immigrant community in

7050-560: The outbreak of World War I in 1914. The Italian male immigrants in the Little Italys were most often employed in manual labor and were heavily involved in public works , such as the construction of roads, railroad tracks, sewers, subways, bridges, and the first skyscrapers in the northeastern cities. As early as 1890, it was estimated that around 90 percent of New York City's and 99 percent of Chicago's public works employees were Italians. The women most frequently worked as seamstresses in

7144-466: The plant celebrated its four millionth car produced. [1] At the end of 2011, Fiat sold the plant to Chinese car manufacturer Chery. From January 2015, it was owned by Blutec , until its owner was arrested by the Guardia di Finanza in 2020. The plant was subsequently put up for sale again in 2023. There is also a power station operated by Enel with a generation capacity of 454 MW. The Roman aqueduct bridge

7238-468: The present day. Following in the footsteps of Constantino Brumidi , others were commissioned to help create Washington's impressive monuments. An Italian immigrant, Attilio Piccirilli , and his five brothers carved the Lincoln Memorial , which they began in 1911 and completed in 1922. Italian construction workers helped build Washington's Union Station, considered one of the most beautiful stations in

7332-464: The prospect of a deepening poverty. A large number of these were attracted to the United States, which at the time was actively recruiting workers from Italy and elsewhere to fill the labor shortage that existed in the years following the Civil War. Often the father and older sons would go first, leaving the mother and the rest of the family behind until the male members could afford their passage. By far

7426-528: The push-pull model of immigration, America provided the pull factor by the prospect of jobs that unskilled and uneducated Italian peasant farmers could do. Peasant farmers accustomed to hard work in the Mezzogiorno, for example, took jobs building railroads and constructing buildings, while others took factory jobs that required little or no skill. The push factor came primarily from the harsh economic conditions in southern Italy. Major factors that contributed to

7520-512: The same route taken by the Selinus horsemen in 480 and set up his main camp on the west of the city, while about a third of the army encamped to the south of Himera. The city of Himera sits on top of a hill 300–400 feet high on the western bank of the River Himera. The hill is steep in the northern, western, and eastern sides, but gradually slopes to the south. There are hills to the west and south of

7614-509: The scene of one of the largest voluntary emigrations in recorded world history. During this period of mass migration, 4 million Italians arrived in the United States, 3 million of them between 1900 and 1914. They came for the most part from southern Italy (the regions of Abruzzo , Campania , Apulia , Basilicata , and Calabria ) and from the island of Sicily . Most planned to stay a few years, then take their earnings and return home. According to historian Thomas J. Archdeacon , 46 percent of

7708-458: The sea around Himera. Hannibal spread a false report that the Punic army was going to attack Syracuse after sailing there from Motya, as the main army of Syracuse was approaching Himera, thus leaving their city unguarded. This convinced the Syracusans to leave Himera for their mother city. The city of Himera had little chance of withstanding the Carthaginians on their own, so they decided to evacuate

7802-485: The states of Arizona and New Mexico . The first Italian to be registered as residing in the area corresponding to the current United States was Pietro Cesare Alberti , commonly regarded as the first Italian American. Alberti was a Venetian seaman who, in 1635, settled in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam , which would eventually become New York City . A small wave of Protestants, known as Waldensians , immigrated during

7896-414: The strongest "pull" factor was money. Migrants expected to make large sums in a few years of work, enabling them to live much better when they returned home, especially by buying a farm. Real life was never so golden: the Italians earned well below average rates. Their weekly earnings in manufacturing and mining in 1909 came to $ 9.61, compared to $ 13.63 for German immigrants and $ 11.06 for Poles. The result

7990-579: The wooden support beams. Carthaginian infantry then attacked through the gap, but the Himerans repulsed the Punic assault on the city, and then threw up makeshift walls to close the breaches. Sometime after this event, Syracusan general Diocles arrived with 3,000 Syracusan hoplites, 1,000 soldiers from Akragas , and another 1,000 mercenaries, and entered the city. Joining the Himeran force of about 10,000 troops (majority hoplites with some cavalry and peltasts ),

8084-453: Was a sense of alienation from most of American culture and a lack of interest in learning English or otherwise assimilating. Not many women came, but those who did became devoted to traditional Italian religious customs. When the World War I broke out, European migrants could not go home. Wages shot up, and the Italians benefited greatly. Most decided to stay permanently, and they flourished in

8178-475: Was credited with the instrumental organization the band still maintains. Joseph Lucchesi, the third Italian leader of the U.S. Marine Band, served from 1844 to 1846. The first opera house in the country opened in 1833 in New York through the efforts of Lorenzo Da Ponte , Mozart's former librettist, who had immigrated to America and had become the first professor of Italian at Columbia College in 1825. During this period, Italian explorers continued to be active in

8272-579: Was governor of the Louisiana Territory for the next 20 years. His brother Alphonse de Tonty (Alfonso de Tonti), with French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac , was the co-founder of Detroit in 1701, and was its acting colonial governor for 12 years. Spain and France were Catholic countries and sent many missionaries to convert the native American population. Included among these missionaries were numerous Italians. In 1519–25, Alessandro Geraldini

8366-561: Was more typical in areas outside of the enclaves of the large northeastern cities and other parts of the country as well. An estimated 49 percent of Italians who migrated to the Americas between 1905 (when return migration statistics began) and 1920 did not remain in the United States. These so-called birds of passage intended to stay in the United States for only a limited time, followed by a return to Italy with enough in savings to reestablish themselves there. While many did return to Italy, others chose to stay or were prevented from returning by

8460-556: Was never rebuilt. Mass graves associated with this battle (along with the first Battle of Himera in 480 BC) were discovered in 2008-2011, corroborating the stories told by ancient historians. Phoenicians of Western Sicily had aided the Elymians against the Dorian Greeks of Selinus in 580 when a Greek colonization attempt of Lilybaeum was defeated. The invasion of Spartan Dorieus was again defeated by Carthage near Eryx in 510, and

8554-476: Was not sufficient. They were subsequently discharged, and then took service with the Greeks. Hannibal did not go after Akragas or Syracuse , the Sicilian cities mainly responsible for the humiliation at Himera at 480 after sacking Himera. He disbanded his army (the remaining Italian mercenaries chose to take service with Syracuse), garrisoned the Punic territory with sufficient troops and returned to Carthage with

8648-464: Was recruited from wealthier citizens and hired mercenaries. Large Sicilian cities like Syracuse and Akragas could field up to 10,000 – 20,000 citizens, while smaller ones like Himera and Messana mustered between 3,000 –6,000 soldiers. Syracuse sent a relief force, originally recruited for aiding Selinus to Himera; it included 3,000 soldiers from Syracuse, 1,000 from Akragas, and probably 1,000 mercenaries. Hannibal marched to Himera probably using

8742-455: Was the first Catholic bishop in the Americas, at Santo Domingo . Father François-Joseph Bressani (Francesco Giuseppe Bressani) labored among the Algonquin and Huron peoples in the early 17th century. The southwest and California were explored and mapped by Italian Jesuit priest Eusebio Kino (Chino) in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His statue , commissioned by the state of Arizona,

8836-466: Was utterly destroyed, even all the temples were flattened to the ground, and the women and children were enslaved. Hannibal did not, however, divert a river over the city site (like the Greeks did at Sybaris in 511) to complete his revenge. The spoils of war were divided among his troops, and the prisoners were sold into slavery. The Italian mercenaries, who mostly led the assault, complained that they had been abused by their commander and that their payment

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