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Me
Hello, I am Brianna Rizzo. I am from Sant Angelo dei Lombardi, Italy. My mother was killed by the king and my father died because of a heart attack. -
King Umberto I harrassed me
I was against many things the king did. One day, the king of Italy, King Umberto I was harassing me for my ideas about how to run a government. He got mad really when I made a speech about it and told me that if I ever made a speech against him again, I would be killed. That made me feel threatened. -
I spoke out against the King again
I thought that it was not fair that our country had a king. So I told the people of Italy that we should have a government instead of a king. Unfortunately,King Umberto I had already warned me that if I did this again I would be procecuted. I knew that I had to leave Italy as soon as possible. -
Push and Pull Factors
I was pushed from my country by threats from the King. I was pulled to America, because in America I heard that there was Freedom of Speech and a chance for better life. It was making speeches that got me in trouble in Italy, I wanted to choose a country where that could never happen again. -
On the voyage
I left Italy and came to America on a ship. I was on a friend's ship called Chachmire. Chachmire was a merchant boat coming to America to trade. They were going to deliver me at New York. -
I arrived in America
This boat was very slow. Rough seas and cloudy skys slowed us down quite a bit. As a result I got here after many weeks. My first glance of America was the Statue of Liberty. -
Ellis Island
I was on Ellis Island. The food the there was terrible. I was in medical detention for a couple of weeks because I got very sick from the food. -
Little Italy
When I arrived, I knew that I wanted to settle somewhere that had people also from Italy. After I searched for a couple of months, I found a city called Little Italy. That is where most people from Italy settled, I was not the only one who came to escape from prosecution. -
I worked on the railroad
I needed a job to pay for this food and rent. I had searched everywhere but the only job offered to me was a job working on the railroad. I had no choice but to take it. -
I broke my leg
As I was working on the railroad I slipped and fell onto the tracks. Somehow, someone who was on top of me handing me the tracks did not see that I fell down. He tossed me another track, I couldn't catch it in time and it landed on my leg. My leg was broken. After that, I was quickly fired as I can be no use with a broken leg. -
Dawes Act of 1887
I learned about the Dawes Act of 1887. That act gave land to Native Americans to be farmers and to make them assimulate. The part of this act that affects me is that many Native Americans did not want to become farmers. These Native Americans often sold their land for very cheap prices. -
Jobless
I am jobless and have been for weeks. There was too much discrimination here. No one would hire me because I am Italian. -
Push and pull to go west
The fact that I have no job and no home pushed me to go west. Also, land and a chance to start over pulled me to the west. -
There was cheap land
I needed a home now too. I had not been able to pay my rent and the landlord kicked me out. I heard that there is free land in the west and I thought that it would be my best choice. -
Robbed
I was traveled alone as usual to the Native American's land in the west. Suddenly out of now where, this group of robbers came up and stole everything that I have left except the $14 in my shoe. They ran away quickly and I was left with almost nothing. -
I got land
At first I wanted land, now I had it. I talked to a family of Native Americans who really did not want to be farmers. I bought the land from them for $10 even though the land was really worth $50 or more. -
I am a farmer
I had land and seeds, the only natural thing for me to have done is to become a farmer. The land was fertile, there were creeks and meadows. I had everything that I needed. -
People I am associated with
Mostly I associated with the farmers living around me. My neighbors are the closest to a family I had here, we all helped each other and traded crops and items we needed together at the market.
