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Mario Musolino is born
My name is Mario Musolino was born on March, third 1874. I grew up and at age seven I became a worker in a wine vineyard in a small village in Naples, Italy with my cousin named Giuseppe. I work with my cousin, as a farmworker. My cousin and I receive very low pay and we lived in very small houses in the village, it is cramped and crowded, we are poor and live of mostly bread and potatoes. -
Period: to
Immigration
when most people immigrated to the United States -
Mario and his cousin, Giuseppe Immigrate to America
My cousin, Giuseppe and I are 16 years old and have always dreamed of opening a fruit shop in America while working out in the fields for years we have heard wonders about the mysterious country. We have saves up enough to pay for our voyage to Chicago, America. Our voyage lasted about three weeks and as soon as we get thru the long process of inspection at Ellis Island and arrive to America we are bombarded with offers of jobs and places where we can stay. -
Mario and Giuseppe immigrate to America CONTINUED
Weighed down with all of our luggage, which included all of our clothes, money, and valuables to sell, we find a house to stay in which is worn down and beat up. The next day we plan to buy supplies for our fruit shop. -
Mario and Giusppe get a factory job
After selling all of our valuables and getting American money we look for space and supplies to set up our shop. Everything is very expensive in America. I saw an offer for a clothing factory job with good pay and we decide to take this job instead of building a fruit shop. It is also too crowded here in the city to build our shop. -
Mario and Giuseppe's job
Our job is going well and we are working hard. Because of our hard work we were able to get a raise on our pay. Although the pay is good and we have enough money for food and housing we don't like the harsh conditions of the factory that we work in and wish that there was something better than it. America is not as great as we expected it to be but we donβt want to go back to Italy. -
Mario and Giuseppe want to move west
We have been hearing about land in the west and gold and new, better job opportunities. We are both interested and want to learn more. We start to ask people about the west and we learn that you can take a train out west, there are mining jobs, railroad jobs and the land is very low priced and sometimes even free. We save our money until we earn enough for a train ticket and some extra in case we need supplies. -
Mario and Giuseppe move west
We have finally saved enough money to go on the train and move west! We buy some food and new clothes to take with us. It is our first time on a train and I have never experienced anything like it! on the train we meet many new people and we hear so many different languages and accents it is very hard to understand everyone. -
Homestead act
While on the train we hear about an act called the homestead act. This law means that if we live on 160 acres and improve it for five years then we can keep the land! We move very far west all the way to Montana. -
Mario and Giuseppe arrive in the west
Right when we arive Giuseppe and I buy a horse and some cattle. We get 160 acres and agree to live on it and improve it for five years. Giuseppe and i have become homesteaders. We plant crops and build our house and cattle pens. I enjoy life as a homesteader and after five years Giuseppe and I will own the land. -
We Own the land now!
Giuseppe and I have lived on and worked on this land for five years and we now own it! I have fallen in love with a the daughter of the homesteader next to us and I plan to marry her soon. Her name is Allison and I believe we will be very happy together and have many children. Giussepe also wants to marry a girl named Jennifer but is not yet ready to marry her.
