The Assimilation And Restricting Factors Of Italian Immigrants In The United States: 1880-1920

This paper mainly analyzes the Italian immigrants'process of assimilation in America from 1880 to 1920 and restricting factors of assimilation, discusses the relation between Italian immigrants and American's multi-culture .The foreword traces the development of academic introduces research about the Italian immigrants, summarizes briefly the relevant research of foreign academic communities and introduces the research approach and issues to be touched.The paper is made up of three parts:Part one introduces the experience of Italian who immigrated to America, the cultural characteristic of immigrants, and explains the reasons of immigration from such angles as politics, culture, history & reality, economy, especially the industrialization and market economy's impact upon people mobility, etc.Part two analyzes the situation of Italian immigrants'adjustment and assimilation process in America. Facing so many Eastern and Southern European immigrants, with the support of"Melting Pot Theory", Americans started the Americanization Movement in order to assimilate foreign immigrants. Italian immigrants set up their ethnic communities, social organization and press, entered the labor market actively, assimilation begins slowly. In the process of adjustment, some immigrants returned to Italy.Part three describes the restricting factors of Italian immigrants'early assimilation. Because of the social transformation and heavy influx of immigrants, American nativism evolved into a hysteria movement, Italian immigrants suffered from racial discrimination in settlement and employment, etc. They have to stick to their cultural tradition and experience to adjust to the life in the New World.The conclusion summarizes briefly the full paper, and draws some views on the assimilation of Italian immigrants: First, the process of Italians immigrate to America is a dual process, from a rural society to a urban culture, as well as from Italian ethnicity to America society; Second, the occupation mobility is the critical element of the Americanization. Because Italian immigrants have no high education and technology of industry, they are on the verge of America; Third, in the process of migration, immigrants themselves must change ides. Italians immigrants keep tradtion of mother country is right ,but their ability in market economy is relatively weak.