The History of Italian-American Women Research Paper

Introduction

It is no question that Italian-Americans are one of the most significant minorities in the United States of America. The diaspora has spanned across the country and evolved in many spheres of life. Some people have become celebrities, authors, doctors, lawyers, or just average citizens in the USA. Ones of the best personalities are Italian-American women, who have played a significant role within the community. They contributed many things, invented something unusual, wrote inspiring books, spoke about most significant events, and altered the perception of the country as a whole. In this paper, the central theme embraces motivational, strong, determined, and outstanding Italian-American females such as Angela Bambace, Saint Frances Cabrini, Catherine De Angelis, Geraldine Ferraro, and Mary Lou Retton. Each of them has had unique ideas, perspectives, dreams, actions, visions, and deeds, but only one thing has united them – love, aspiration, and ambitious to the entire globe.

Brief History about Italian-American in North America

Italian-Americans are citizens or permanent residents of the United States of America born in Italy who are ethnic Italians or have full or partial Italian origin. Italian navigators and explorers played a key role in the discovery, exploration, and settlement of the American continent. For example, Christopher Columbus, the Spanish navigator who first reached America, was an ethnic Italian. Another famous Italian explorer who discovered the east coast of South America between 1499 and 1502 was Amerigo Vespucci (America was named after him). The first Italian-American was Pietro Cesare Alberti, a Venetian sailor who settled in the area of modern New York in 1635.

Despite the original British colonization of the region and the absolute predominance of British immigrants in the early stages of US history, the flow of peoples in the XIX century gradually diversified. After considerable German and Irish immigration waves, Italian one became predominant in the years 1880-1950 (Molnar 2). Despite the gradual loss of their native language, Italian immigrants were quite numerous to significantly influence the formation of certain aspects of the modern life of the United States, primarily food, art, literature, and so on. Before World War I, Italian was restrictedly used in the US press and some signage in compact places. Over time, Italian-Americans were one of the largest populations of the United States. According to estimates of demographers and national censuses, about 15–20 million Americans (6–8% of the total number) have full or partial Italian origin (Molnar 4). In comparison, the number of Italians in Italy itself is about 55 million people). The main places of concentration are the Mid Atlantic (especially New York), New England, Florida, and California. The ethnic region of “compact residence” of Italian-Americans in a large city is called Little Italy: these are the areas inhabited mainly by Italian-Americans that allow preserving Italian culture in the country after sheltering them. Such areas have a bright color and unique, “home-family-Italian” atmosphere. Italian surnames are found among modern, including famous Americans quite widely (about 28-35 million Americans have English origin), such as Al Pacino, Madonna, Sylvester Stallone, Lady Gaga, Frank Sinatra, and others.

In the United States, where institutional nationalism was spread for a long time and persists at the household level, the integration of Italians has long been extremely problematic. Only from the second half of the XX century, after the arrival of even more problematic groups (Mexicans, Cubans, Haitians), Italians no longer stand out from the general population as they did before. It should also be noted that about a quarter of the first-generation Italian immigrants sooner or later returned to Italy (Molnar 7). At present, the processes of assimilation among the Italians of the United States have already become irreversible, although the culture and traditions of the Italian-Americans in their somewhat ‘archaic form’ are still preserved in places of compact residence. Only about 1.6 million of them continue to consider Italian as their mother tongue today and speak it indoors (mostly people over 70 years old), but this number is continually decreasing; the others have already switched to English, or rather, a unique language variant – American English – which the Italians also took part in. Ultimately, it becomes apparent that Italian-Americans have significantly evolved and spanned across the country impacting different elements of the American community.

Italian-American Women ‘Rocked’ the USA

Indeed, one of the most influential and prominent Italian-American figures have been females. Throughout history, women have been an integral factor in the development and life of the Italian culture (ISDA 3). If one gets into in-depth overlook of the entire history of Italian-American women, one can notice a set of critical changes, perspectives, and innovations within the US society. Notably, Italian-American females founded National Organization of Italian American Women in 1980, which is the American Sisters Group that represents Italian-American women of various professional and business backgrounds. Over the course of 35-year history, the Organization has put efforts to counter labels of Italian-American women by honoring successful professionals in every sphere, promoting educational progress through various scholarships, developing and enhancing career skills through mentoring alongside with increasing cultural awareness through a bunch of different programs. While the majority of people focus on well-known modern stars as Alfredo Pacino or Sylvester Stallone, there is a plethora of females who changed the American mini-world with their actions, manners, and inspiring contributions. Therefore, it would be honorable to commemorate them and their undoubtedly significant works throughout the lifespans.  

Angela Bambace

This fantastic woman was born in Santos, Brazil in the family of Italian immigrants. Later, the family made up their minds to move to New York and settled down in East Harlem. In adolescence, Angela and her close sister Marie did garment work, like the majority of Italian-American females in New York. They both were into on humanitarian activity, and frequently attended different lectures led by socialists, anarchists, and the members of the Industrial Workers of the World along with International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (Hayes 3). Angela was developing her worldview and mindset by thinking creatively. She discovered an urge to do something crucial in her life and toward other human beings. Bambace first worked as an organizer for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, and later she became an honorable member, officer, and organizer of ILGWU from 1917 to 1972.

At first, Bambace became a member of the Italian Waist and Dressmakers’ Local 89 in 1917 serving as the main organizer in the dressmakers’ strike of 1919. Later, in the early 1930s, ILGWU sent Angela Bambace to organize and lead garment workers in Baltimore. Luckily, this temporary position became permanent in 1936.  By 1942, she became the manager of the newly created Maryland-Virginia district of the ILGWU. Angela obtained that role after the region was converted to the Upper South Department. She became the first Italian American woman who was elected as ILGWU Vice-President and a member of the General Executive Board in 1956.

Angela Bambace inspired thousands of people, primarily Italian-American women, who struggled to find their voice and value in the USA at that time. Throughout her life, Bambace tried to expand the horizons and women’s rights within the American community by all means. She was involved in numerous organizations, such as Americans for Democratic Action, Maryland Commission on the Status of Women, United Nations Association, Southern Conference Education Fund, the Jewish Labor Committee, and Baltimore Community Action Commission (Hayes 3).  She proved the world that every woman, whether she is pure American or immigrant, deserves to be heard and admired. Therefore, Angela Bambace has been one of the most outstanding personalities in Italian-American history so far.

Saint Xavier Cabrini

Francesca Cabrini is no less a striking figure than Angela Bambace. She was born in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, in the Lombard Province of Lodi, Italy. At the age of 11, she made a personal vow of chastity. From early childhood, she dreamed of becoming a missionary and followed this target until she reached it. Francesca Cabrini entered the “Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” college in Milan in 1863 (Hayes 4). In 1868 she passed the exam in the pedagogical school, but due to poor health, she had to leave school. Cabrini tried to enter the monastery, but, having received a refusal, returned home, where her sister Rosa and she devote themselves to the poor and the sick. On the advice of her spiritual father, in 1869 she went to Codogno (Lombardy), to the monastic house, whose sisters managed the orphanage. Here Francis Xavier Cabrini was drawn into teaching. A bit later, she became the prioress of this monastic house. It was this time when half of her major dream finally came true. She carried on achieving it step by step to the fullest.

On July 14, 1880, Mother Cabrini founded the new monastic house, which became the basis of the new congregation, and later was known as the Sisters of the Missionary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. From 1882, the congregation founded by Francis Xavier began to spread vigorously in Italy. On March 12, 1888, the Holy See approved the charter of this congregation. A year later, Frances Xavier, along with other sisters, resided in New York, where she began collaborating with the majority of Italian immigrants. As a result, she opened the first monastic house to work with orphans. In 1891, Francesca founded a college in Granada, in 1892 – a shelter and school in New Orleans and Brooklyn, and the Columbus Hospital in New York. In 1893 she opened colleges in Rome and Genoa. Since 1895 Francesca Cabrini traveled around the world and opened numerous educational and medical institutions in Buenos Aires, Paris, Chicago, Madrid, Milan, London, New Jersey, Seattle, and Los Angeles.

It is very complicated to reflect on all her inspiring contributions throughout her lifetime. Saint Xavier Cabrini made a lot of good deeds, which will always have a special place for millions of people. Though Mother Cabrini died on December 22, 1917, she left behind 67 monastic houses and 3,000 sisters who entered her congregation (Hayes 4). If this life is nothing to somebody, then one has to look into her story once again, because Frances Xavier was one of the greatest females in history. Moreover, she was an Italian-American immigrant who wanted to improve someone’s life and embrace all Italian immigrants to cooperate with.

Catherine De Angelis

This woman was born and raised in northeastern Pennsylvania in the family of Italian immigrants. In 1960, she completed a three-year registered nurse program at the Scranton State General Hospital School of Nursing and further worked at the Columbia University Medical Center. Her dream was to be a medical doctor. As a result, a high school chemistry teacher advised Catherine to apply to college. Nevertheless, while attending Wilkes University, De Angelis went on working as a nurse, started own clinic, and succeeded doing a medical study in immunology. She moved to the University of Pittsburgh, where she continued the research and began working in the library to put through the medical school. She successfully obtained MD in 1969. Catherine De Angelis completed her residency in pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

While working in a local health clinic, De Angelis obtained MA degree in public health at Harvard University. During this time, she became interested in matters related to health care access and cost and then started to spring any potential solutions to these problems. She later received a grant and worked on a new program to introduce an updated curriculum for the medical school, bringing out “hands-on experience and contact with patients,” dating in 1992. A year later, De Angelis became a prominent editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Janice E. Clements made De Angelis a vice dean. MD De Angelis stepped down as Editor-in-Chief of JAMA in July 2011. Catherine De Angelis has written or edited around thirteen books on Medical Education, Pediatrics, Professionalism, Patient Care, and a recently published memoir Pursuing Equity in Medicine: One Woman’s Journey. She has also published more than 250 peer-reviewed chapters, editorials, and articles. Most of her recent works have concentrated on integrity, conflict of interest, and women in medicine along with medical education. De Angelis has centered all her attention and efforts on human rights since they significantly link to patients, health professionals and people in need.

Dr. DeAngelis is an ex-council member and currently participates in the National Academy of Medicine; a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (UK); a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She now serves a role on the Advisory Board of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, The University of California, Davis, and the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh. Catherine De Angelis is now 78 years old and still goes on thriving and implementing various projects alongside writing more books on medicine and expanding human rights themes in healthcare.

Geraldine Ferraro

“Gerry” Ferraro was born in Newburgh, New York in the family of Italian immigrants. Her childhood was not easy whatsoever, according to her biography. She lost two brothers at an early age and her father due to heart attack and had to do garment work with her mother because of money issues. Ferraro got a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1956 and as a result, was the first female in her family to gain a college degree. She also passed the exam to become a licensed school teacher. Geraldine first worked as an elementary teacher in Astoria, Queens, but she was not happy. Her inner passion screamed for law school, and that was she did: after making a decision, she started to attend law school (Hayes 6). While still working as a teacher, Ferraro attended classes at night, and in 1960 she obtained Juris Doctor Degree with honors at Fordham University School of Law. A year later, she was admitted to the bar of New York State.

Ferraro still had part-time jobs as a lawyer in different firms until she finally decided to get an official full-time job becoming Assistant District Attorney for Queens County, New York in 1974. Female prosecutors were somewhat uncommon in that time, but she proved the opposite by hard work, determination, intelligence, and ambitious. The following year, she got a job in the new Special Victims Bureau and became instantly famous and strong advocate for maltreated and abused children. In 1978, “Gerry” was finally submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar in 1978 (Hayes 6). She had a strong reputation as a tough and fair prosecutor there. Eventually, Ferraro became a Member of the United States House of Representatives in 1979 and served until 1985. She was also a candidate for US Vice President of the Democratic Party in the 1984 elections becoming the first woman in American history to claim this post from a leading party. In 1993-1996, she was the representative of the United States in the UN Human Rights Council (Hayes 6). The following years were sometimes favorable and unpleasant in her career, but she did a great job throughout a lifetime.

Geraldine Ferraro went from being a labeled teacher to lawyer, attorney, prosecutor, vice-president candidate. She made her dream come true and inner passion come out outside. Ferraro was a genuinely fantastic woman, who proved that females were worth having any job. She also got a set of awards and prizes, such as the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement Award, the Edith I. Spivack Award, the annual Trailblazer Award, and so forth. Many people still remember “Gerry” Ferraro as a strong woman and a prominent human being.

Mary Lou Retton

This marvelous personality was born in Fairmont, West Virginia becoming an Italian heiress. According to her biography, the original family name was “Rotunda” (Hayes 7). She was a student at Fairmont Senior High School but did not finish her studies. In 1983 she became the champion of the USA but was forced to miss the World Cup due to her severe knee injury. At a high school sophomore year, Retton competed in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles becoming the first representative of the United States getting the Olympic gold medal in gymnastics. In addition to the gold medal, she also won two silver and two bronze medals at the Olympics.

After the success at the Olympics, Retton began receiving different offers regarding the roles in movies and television. She played small roles in the films “New Christmas Tale” and “Naked Gun 33: Last Insult.” She also participated in several advertising projects, such as sportswear and food. Mary Lou Retton often commented on gymnasts on television, and even the magazine Sports Illustrated awarded Mary the title of “Athlete of the Year” in 1984. In 1985, Mary was forced to leave the big sport due to serious health issues caused by the exacerbation of a congenital disease. In 1997 she was included in the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Retton’s routine on the uneven parallel bars comprised a movement that was called “The Retton Flip.” It consisted of a front flip from low to high-bar, following to the gymnast perched or “sitting” on top of the same bar. This exact move along with many similar others was removed from the Code of Points of artistic gymnastics due to old-style “belly beat” acts putting a stop to be used in the bars competitions. Though not so many people mention her actual background, she is deemed to be an honorable figure among the Italian-American community.

Conclusion

It is no wonder that Italian-American women play a crucial role within the American community. Angela Bambace, Saint Frances Cabrini, Catherine DeAngelis, Geraldine Ferraro, and Mary Lou Retton have done a wide range of bright and inspiring things alongside with motivational and outstanding deeds in various fields of their occupations. They are literally one of the greatest women not only in America, but the entire world since they have shown what humanity, determination, and pride are. Overlooking their stories, speeches, and actions, one can grasp the core value of their contributions and aspirations. Hopefully, Italian-Americans will not stop paying attention to vital things in a lifetime and produce more and more wonderful movies, schools, professions, books, and many other inspiring things.

Works Cited

Hayes, Krystyne. “Celebrating Italian-American Women in History.” OSIA Social Media & Communications, 21 Mar. 2013, Celebrating Italian-American Women in History

ISDA Staff. “A Letter From Our Editor About Italian American Women.” Italian Sons and Daughters of America, 6 Aug. 2015, www.orderisda.org/culture/women/a-letter-from-our-editor-about-italian-american-women/

Molnar, Alexandra. “History of Italian Immigration.” Mount Holyoke College, 15 Dec. 2017, www.mtholyoke.edu/~molna22a/classweb/politics/Italianhistory.html

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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