Through the use primary sources, this unit introduces students to Italian immigration as well as the settlement and the development of Italian American ethnic identity in Pennsylvania. So many Italians headed to Pennsylvania looking for jobs that, from 1890 to 1960, their population by state was the second highest in the country, behind only New York State.
Though 90% of Italian immigrants in the U.S. settled in major cities,71% of the Italians who immigrated to Pennsylvania moved to mid-size and smaller industrial towns scattered throughout the state rather than to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, the two largest cities. Students will learn about the reasons for Italian immigration, the development of ethnic communities, the differences between urban and rural life, the development of a uniquely Italian American ethnic identity, and how Italians fit into the larger context of immigration and ethnic history in the state and nation.