Italian-Americans: From Scapegoats to Superstars

Italian-Americans: From Scapegoats to Superstars

Grades 2 – 4, 60 minutes

In the second great wave of immigration to the U.S., Italians became suspect and were often used as scapegoats. Americans’ xenophobia caused many injustices against Italian-Americans, including convicting them of crimes they did not commit. How did people like Fiorello LaGuardia, Joe DiMaggio and Frank Sinatra help reverse those negative stereotypes? By becoming political, sports and music superstars, these men helped give Italian-Americans a “good name.”