The Coming of Sicilians
in the United States
IN THE BEGINNING….
Between 1674 and 1678, Antonio and Tommaso Crisafi made an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Spanish rulers of Sicily.
They escaped and enrolled in the French Army where they became high-ranking officials. They were sent to the French colonies in North America, and Antonio became governor of Fort Onondaga, located in what is now known as Syracuse, New York. He later assumed the office of governor of Fort of the Three Rivers in the Mohawk Valley, what we now call Utica and Rome, New York. He served in this position until his death in 1709.
EARLY ARRIVALS
Before the surge in the latter part of the 19th century, only a limited number of Sicilians immigrated to the United States. Those who came before that time were relatively few in numbers and they were mostly missionaries, refugees, or adventurers. Some of the Jesuits proselytizing the native Californian Indians were Sicilians. Other Sicilian priests followed the immigrants to preach the Gospel and to assist the new small communities forming on the eastern coast of North America. They built new churches and schools and created friendly meeting places for the new Americans. Other immigrants arrived longing to build a new life and realize the American dream of becoming wealthy and returning to Sicily. Many times, the dream turned into a reality of hard work, settling down and trying to become American.
The wave of emigration from Sicily to North and South America in the early part of the 20th century was the result of natural disasters as well as the conditions which persisted as a result of the policies enacted by the new Italian government established in 1870. In 1870, the natural disaster was in the form of a disease that attacked grape vines. In fact in France, in 1866 a small area of grapevine sickened 
and mysteriously died. The following year the disease spread in all directions covering a larger area, advancing every year all over Europe, until in 1870 it reached Sicily. The mysterious sickness was “Phylloxera” a plant lice, very destructive to grape and effecting to present wine growing all over the world, in a never ending battle. This was a tragedy and a ruin for many Sicilian farmers: many emigrated to Morocco and some to the Americas.
In 1887, a cholera outbreak affected the island and the big cities in particular suffered a great number of fatalities. On December 8, 1908 an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 in Richter’s scale, shook the city of Messina, and a tsunami with 40 foot waves struck the coastal town, wreaking havoc. 90% of the town was destroyed, and 80,000 of the 140,000 residents perished. The Sicilians, who upheld the unification of Italy, were disappointed by the policies of the new government. Sicily was heavily taxed and an eight year military draft was imposed. Because of the policies of the central government and of the trade wars with France and other European countries, the agricultural products could not be traded.
These situations created unrest and discontent. Farmers and workers were unemployed and could not provide for their families. Many felt that the only way to survive was to immigrate to the Americas.
In 1908, over two hundred thousand Sicilians left their homes bound for the Americas. Half of them went to the U.S.A.
SETTLING DOWN
This first wave of Sicilians to arrive in the States was not received too kindly by the established communities, who regarded them as inferior.
The old antagonism between the Northern and Southern Italian was carried on in the new country. Sicilian immigrants were given the shabbiest jobs, and treated with distrust. The American considered the Sicilians to be grimy, dishonest and revolutionary.
The new arrivals established themselves in areas where other Sicilian immigrants had settled. In these communities, they were better able to communicate, received assistance to find work and most importantly, they could be among “cose nostre” or “our own stuff.”
Many of the new immigrants, who sailed from Palermo, made their homes in New York. Some settled in Manhattan, some in Brooklyn and still others, to small Sicilian communities in New Jersey. The fishermen from Trapani and other small Sicilian towns moved to Boston, Gloucester and other fishing centers. Many went to live in Chicago where the previous generation of Sicilian immigrants were residing. Others who were farm workers settled in Wisconsin and in other mid-western States which had established Sicilian communities. Sicilians, who arrived in Philadelphia, spread to the neighboring states as farmers, miners and laborers. Those who arrived in Louisiana established a large Sicilian community in New Orleans and the surrounding area. Most of the farm workers moved to Texas and California.
LA FAMIGLIA
As was the case with most groups of new immigrants, the Sicilians were faced with antagonism and dislike wherever they settled. The American dream became a nightmare. They were regarded with suspicion by the people in their new country, and in turn they distrusted the American establishment. The Catholic churches were overseen by priests who did not speak Italian or Sicilian, and who treated the new immigrants with contempt and disinterest. Because of this, they limited their relationships with non-Sicilians. They only interacted with “outsiders” if it pertained to the basic needs of work and shopping. To protect themselves from the environment, they took refuge in their family. It was here that their language was spoken, where you were treated with respect, and where the daily problems could be discussed with ease and at times, resolved.
The family, which ultimately came to include relatives and friends, became of utmost importance. The celebrated holidays, births, weddings, traditions, feasts together. The family was the place where its members were shielded from the hostilities and aggressions of
the outside world. Usually, the oldest and hopefully wisest,
member was charged with providing solutions to problems
and resolving issues within the family or with outsiders.
THE WOMEN
Women played a significant, if albeit silent and seldom acknowledged function. They often advised their husbands and often influenced their decisions. The women also worked outside the home, providing additional income for the family. However, the most important role was caring for the family, including the children’s education, upkeep of the house, preparation of meals and most importantly, to keep the family together.
Dinner time was family time and “il pranzo,” consumed every day, became a ritual that would bring the family together to enjoy each other, exchange ideas and talk about the day’s events.
GROWING PAINS
For the new immigrants, the concept of family was different from that of feudal times in Sicily. Then, a family was tied to their land, and had no hope for a better future, only a daily struggle for enough food and a roof over their heads. The new model was an entity made of many families, united to create a strong front to defend, to help and to give comfort. The bias that existed toward the Sicilians resulted in a struggle with often negative results. On many occasions Sicilian were lynched in Louisiana, killed or beaten by gangsters of other nationalities, mocked and insulted, denied work and rejected with violence. These explosive circumstances created an environment which caused the individual families to arm themselves in order to protect its members from this aggressive and lawless society.
When these threats dissipated, so did the need to be armed. The process of assimilation resumed. Some of the families engaged in direct confrontation with the gangs of other ethnic groups, which caused some of the Sicilian families to become illegal entities, some of which are still in existence today. These organizations of Sicilians represent a small percentage of all criminal organizations existing in U.S.A. and are a small fraction of the Sicilians and Sicilian descendants living in the United States today.
SICILIANS IN AMERICA TODAY
With time, the Sicilians themselves in American society gained better jobs, prosperity and social recognition. Their children went to the best colleges and universities, and became part of the “melting pot".
Finally, the contributions made by the Sicilians in America can be found in all areas of American life - from the Jesuits Missionaries in California in the 17th century, to a contender for the White House in 2007. Sicilians have contributed to this great nation as much or more than any other ethnic faction.
American-Sicilians have distinguished themselves in the areas of business, industry and government, including, economics, law, education, architecture, science, the arts, entertainment, sports and of course, food.
The list that follows was retrieved from www.Wikipedia.org, which names the most famous American-Sicilians from modern times.
In my lifetime I have seen on television, read about or met many of the people on the list. They gave a pleasant and positive contribution to our life, and gave me reason to be proud to be Sicilian.
Those American-Sicilians who are not listed, the professionals, business people and workers, who have been and are continuously contributing to the betterment of our community, we express our gratitude. To those who with their sacrifices made it possible for us to live in a better world, we give our thanks and admiration.
(you could find more information on Wikipedia on Sicilian-Americans or find the complete list of Sicilian Americans.)
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