Little Italy

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Little Italy and Italian Americans
Between 1880 and 1920, over four million Italians immigrated to the United States to find  better lives for themselves and their families. Originally men came over temporarily to make money to bring back to their families. However, by 1900 there was an increase in the number of women and children who came and stayed. The vast number of Italian immigrants quickly formed their own communities, called “Little Italys”, that were rich in Italian heritage. In some cases, entire tenement houses were filled with Italian Americans who came from the same village in Italy. Italian Americans were extremely devoted to their immediate families and had very close ties with their extended families.

Many immigrants from Southern Italy lived in “dumbbell” apartments, which were so close together that sunlight could not penetrate the small spaces. But even under poor conditions, the Italians cherished foods and culture from their homeland and created tightly knit communities. New York’s Little Italy neighborhood once included all of Elizabeth, Mott, and Mulberry Streets and extended north of Canal Street. Today, Chinatown has expanded and has claimed much of the Italian area. Even though Little Italy is much smaller, Italian festivals still fill the streets throughout the year to celebrate the heritage of the neighborhood.

Lamplighters

Before electric streetlights, gas lamps lined the sidewalks of cities and small towns. The lamplighter was responsible for lighting the lamps at dusk and extinguishing them at dawn. Lamplighters were usually young men who carried small ladders and long rods to light the lamps. To control the lamp, the lamplighter climbed the ladder and use the rod to turn the gas switch either on or off. By 1916 the gas streetlights were being phased out and electric lights began to take their place.

Child Labor

After the Civil War in the late 19^th century, the United States experienced a great industrial boom. Industry grew so rapidly that the demand for labor rose. Factory wages were extremely low and children often found work in the factories to help with families’ incomes. There were no laws to protect children from the dangers of industrial work. In many cases, children were forced to perform the most dangerous jobs, such as crawling into small machine spaces or through tight areas of underground mines. They were viewed as cheap labor because they were not as skilled as adults and were paid much less. Their small hands were also assets to factory owners because they were able to nimbly handle small parts and tools. By 1910 the number of children working in factories grew to 2 million. The child workers were rarely able to attend school and often contracted serious diseases associated with industry and mining.

Childhood was being stolen away from these workers, and people gradually recognized the need to bring an end to child labor. In 1904 a group of reformers created the National Child Labor Committee, an organization to end child labor. The new organization investigated the severe labor conditions and took pictures of the child workers. They used statistics and images in large exhibits to show the harsh reality of the lives of these children. The success of the exhibitions led to the formation of regulations and the Children’s Bureau in 1912. One year later it was transferred to the Department of Labor. By 1920, the number of child laborers had decreased to one million.

In many parts of the world children are not protected by laws and are forced to work long hours, frequently in dangerous conditions. Child Laborers not only risk their lives, but also lose much of their childhood. There are many organizations, including Amnesty International and Witness, which continue to fight for the rights of children all over the world.

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