«Birds of passage, Enemy aliens, Italian-Americans. Dal ghetto etnico all’americanizzazione»

After the IWW, United States approved heavily discriminatory laws against immigrants from Mediterranean and Eastern European countries. These measures particularly hit Italians, for which reason most of them were forced to request the American citizenship. Italian-Americans experienced lots of wasp prejudices, being considered lazy, scab, mafiosi or even radicals (communists or anarchists). Sacco and Vanzetti’s case was the most symbolic of a very long list of accusations, assaults and discriminations. Therefore, a great number of Italian-Americans began to estimate Mussolini as an idol: the strong man who saved Italy from revolution and was redeeming his country in the eyes on the international community. An idol who saved also the emigrants, defending their honor and dignity. This Italian-American’s sentiment generated a double loyalty, toward both Italy and USA. It was only during the IIWW that this duplicity broke down, after fascist’s war declaration to America. Then, Italian-Americans finally chose their American homeland.