A class from the Academy for Global Studies at Austin High School traveled from Texas to the North End last February to study “The Italians of Boston.” Documenting neighborhood history and culture, the group interviewed experts and individuals with first hand experience including North End resident Domenic Campochiaro, Dr. Vincent Cannato of UMass and Father Claude Scrima of St. Leonard’s Church.
Their final research project included a website documenting what they learned. Specific sections include:
- History of Immigration
- Italian-American Culture
- Rhetoric of Italian Culture
- Interviews
- About the Project
- Cited Works
The dawn of the twentieth century and a rise in industrial production sent many people to the shores of America in search of a better life. Italians, facing economic and moral hardships in their home country, joined the masses of other nationalities flocking to the U.S. and set out to form communities of their own. One distinct Italian group formed in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, affectionately referred to as “Little Italy”.
The Italians who immigrated to America in the late 1800s and early 1900s were subject to social conflict with other immigrant groups, discrimination by nationalist Americans, and economic hardship, but by maintaining their values of hard work and perseverance, they were able to find their voice in America.
See their full website at http://bostonitalians.weebly.com.
