The Story of the Italians in America Free PDF book by Michael A. Musmanno 1965





Excerpt from the author's introduction:





From the pungent aroma of a pizza to the beauty of the Brumidi frescoes in the National Capitol, and the pageantry of a Columbus Day Parade, the familiar and varied contributions of the Italians have given sparkle and distinctive character to every facet of American life. Michael Angelo Musmanno, the distinguished son of Italian immigrant parents,knowledgeably outlines the achievements of the Italians in America from Columbus, the discoverer, and Giovanni da Verrazano, the sixteenth-century explorer of the Hudson River, to Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees, one of the greatest ballplayers of all time.In every field of endeavor art, music, education, law, religion, medicine, sports, business, science, military, government— we meet men and women of Italian descent who have had outstanding careersThis Italian boot has traveled on horseback, ship, and land, and, wherever it has touched the earth’s surface, it has left memorable imprints. But nowhere did the bootprints sink so deeply and leave their mark so permanently as in America. Christopher Columbus wore the Italian boot as he paced the deck of the Santa Maria and then beached his landing craft at San Salvador. That boot trudged through the sands of Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and other islands of the West Indies, as well as the northern coast of South America.