Italian Heritage and Its Impact on Life in the US

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People often think that being of Italian descent means that I am good at cooking, eat a lot and tend to walk around saying “I will make you an offer you can’t refuse”. False stereotypes and references to the Godfather series aside, being an Italian goes hand in hand with a rich tradition of religion and culture that spans centuries. From the rise of the Roman Empire to the creation of modern-day Italy, you cannot help but think of where we as Italians have come from, what different paths our ancestors took for us to be here today and what potential future could be on the horizon for the next generations of Italians.

It is this anticipation for what may come that has driven me towards pursuing a career in medicine. Did you know that the first medical school in Europe, the School of Salerno, was located in Italy? That Italian doctor Giovanni Battista Morgagni was the founder of Pathological anatomy? It is these little tidbits of knowledge about the contributions of Italians to the field of medicine that truly fascinated me since it showed just how much our culture has contributed to the foundation of the modern medical world (Buonanno 123).

While it is true that the latest developments in modern day medicine now come large corporations and Universities with corporate funding, the fact remains that much of what can be seen in modern day hospitals can be attributed to the contributions of early Italian medical pioneers. Strangely enough, despite the contributions that Italians have made to the field of medicine, it has taken quite some time for people of Italian descent to break into the field of medicine in the U.S. This is despite the fact that Italians have been known for centuries are great inventors, thinkers, and practitioners of medicine.

For example, Salvino degli Armati (born in 1258) is widely considered as the potential inventers of eyeglasses, Alessandro Volta (born in 1745) created the first prototype of the electric batteries we use in many devices today, and Giovanni Caselli was one of the original inventors of the ancestor of the fax machines that were widely used prior to the popularization of the internet (Belluscio 228). These are only some of the dozens of Italian inventors, thinkers, philosophers and artists that contributed immensely towards shaping the world as we know it today. The quintessential Italian thinker is one that is creative, inventive, possesses a deep faith in God and creates due to the deep-seated belief that to hold back is to deny the world of the gifts and talents that God has given them us.

The low rate of career penetration for Italian-Americans in the field of medicine is in part due to a combination of false stereotyping, belief that other ethnicities are simply better in the field of medicine, and a distinct lack of initial opportunities Italian-Americans. While Italians were some of the first migrants into the U.S. during the early 1900s, they were coming here in order to flee from rampant poverty in Italy at the time.

As a result, many Italian migrants did not have significant amounts of monetary assets leading many towards taking industrial and construction related jobs (Riccio 161). Unfortunately, this correlation between Italians and the aforementioned jobs stuck resulting in the development of a stereotype that Italians are the best for labor related work (Shor 685). This meant that Italians attempting to advance into various professional fields were given limited opportunities since it was thought that they did not have the capability to match other more “deserving” ethnicities (Meyer 176).

This state of affairs continued till the early 1960s where, due to anti-discrimination laws as well as the creation of easier access to state and private funding, Italian-Americans were able to start entering into new professionals outside of those that they were previously shoehorned into (Topp 39).

It is based on this history of Italian-Americans that I decided to enter into the medical field since not only do I want to prove that we as a culture are more than what others perceive us to be, but that we have contributed immensely towards the development of modern day medicine and that these developments will continue well into future if I have anything to say about it. I will continue to strive and focus on becoming someone that the world will remember so that future Italian-Americans can point to me in their history books and say that I am someone that they will strive to emulate.

In fact, I believe that what is written in history is a great way of seeing how particular cultures will continue and evolve in the future. For example, the Italian people and culture as we know it today evolved from the ancient Roman civilization. I find this connection truly fascinating since the developments created by the Romans helped to create much of the modern day world. From the use of aqueducts to the creation of tax laws, social laws and a wide assortment of developments in medicine, art and science. The influence of the Roman civilization helped to shape the world into what it is today and I can’t help but think that it is our blood to change the world just as the ancient Romans did before us.

My belief in how history is our sculptor and we are its material was further piqued when I read about the life of Skipio Africanus, known to be one of the greatest generals who ever lived due to this numerous accomplishments and defeat of Hannibal. While Skipio was born into what can be defined as a moderately well-off family, he became a successful general through hard work and the belief that people should be treated decently and with respect.

This ideology extended all the way into this career as a general where he developed a reputation for fairness and mercy to his enemies. It is based on the life of Scipio that I developed the idea that if I want to be someone that people would look up to, I need to be able to have morals that are unquestionable, a reputation that shows my willingness to help others, and the mental fortitude to carry all my goals out till the end.

As I enter into this new chapter of my life where I will be developing who I am as a person, I begin to see that being an Italian and being a Catholic are intertwined since I have faith that the lord our God will guide me in what I must do to achieve my dreams and be the inspiration for others to achieve theirs as well.

Works Cited

Belluscio, Steven J. “Leaving Little Italy: Essaying Italian American Culture.” Modern Fiction Studies 52.1 (2006): 228. Print.

Buonanno, Michael. “Italian Folk: Vernacular Culture In Italian-American Lives.” Journal Of American Ethnic History 32.2 (2013): 123. Print.

Meyer, Gerald. “Italian Anarchism In America: Its Accomplishments, Its Limitations.” Science & Society 79.2 (2015): 176.Print.

Riccio, Anthony V. “Oral History, Oral Culture, And Italian Americans.” Oral History Review 39.1 (2012): 160-162. Print.

Shor, Francis. “Those Without A Country: The Political Culture Of Italian American Syndicalists (Book).” Journal Of American History 90.2 (2003): 685-686. Print.

Topp, Michael Miller. “The Transnationalism Of The Italian-American Left: The Lawrence Strike Of 1912 And The Italian..” Journal Of American Ethnic History 17.1 (1997): 39. Print.

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Italian Heritage and Its Impact on Life in the US

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