This led them to flee Italy. They wanted to start new lives in the United States. .
Immigrants began to migrate to the United States in huge amounts by 1872. A large amount of Italian immigrants migrated to the United States mainly between 1874 and 1920, when about seven million immigrants arrived. Most of these immigrants were from Southern Italy. Most of them migrated to New York City by chain migration. Italian immigrants involved with chain migration posed as personal labor agents and told their family and friends when work was available. The growth of the U.S. gave them many opportunities. They obtained various jobs in the Hudson Valley; most of them worked in barbershops, grocery stores, candy stores, butcher shops, etc. Others worked as laborers and farmers. Many Italians worked on the Poughkeepsie Railroad also. Italians went to Dutchess and Ulster Counties to farm, while some moved to Highland to grow grapes and settle. People from the communities feared that Italians were taking jobs away from them. In 1887, someone from the Poughkeepsie News-Telegraph presented a quote saying, "None but the Italians could or would do the sort of work given to them. The best of them do not get more than $1.50 a day.".
Italians always kept their traditions including hard work, frugality, and pride. .
These things wouldn't allow them to take public aid. Therefore, they constantly formed.
organizations that helped them with financial and job situations. They also used these .
organizations to hold cultural gatherings in which they shared Italian food, clothing, and .
language. An example of an important Italian organization was the Sons of Italy. .
Organizations made Italians become closer as well as encouraged them to become more .
active in the community. .
Italians were able to make other impacts on the communities as well, especially .
the Hudson Valley. Bartolo Barone was one of them. He was an early banker, grocer,.
