Are Italians White? (Part 1)

Italian portrayed as dark, ape-like creature

Are Italians white? In a word, no. Some modern Italian Americans will undoubtedly be offended by this statement. But, the only reason anyone would be offended by this statement is because they believe being white is superior to being non-white. White is an American creation - and has little to do with our true ethnicity or background. In fact, Italians were not considered nor listed as white by American authorities when they first started to arrive in large numbers in the late 1800s.

We'll look into this issue and establish the following:

Part # 1 - What is White?

Part # 2 - Italians are Latin

Part # 3 - White is an American Label

What is 'White?'

 Many people believe that being white in America begins and ends with skin color. While it is true that skin color is an essential characteristic of being white – it is not the only requirement for “being white.” Whiteness, in America, is a political and social designation that does not necessarily exist in other parts of the world. In America, one's whiteness allowed them to vote, hold office and own land. The same restriction is not true for other countries or sovereign states of seemingly white backgrounds.

To understand what “whiteness” means – we have to look back at our country's founding. America was founded by white skinned males of Protestant background. Their definition of whiteness included a person's skin color, religion and (to a lesser extent) their language and customs.

The Signing of the Declaration of Independence - Only one signatory (out of 56) was Catholic

Now, based on that definition – the picture becomes clearer. A person with white skin – from a Catholic background - was not “white” and was considered unequal to a white, American Protestant. Could a Catholic vote? In Colonial times – no. In fact, many colonies had passed laws banning Catholics from living within their borders. Could they vote in early US history? Technically, yes. But anti-Catholic sentiment ran rampant in this country for generations – and denied them (either by law, force or public opinion) full access to all America had to offer (think running for public office, obtaining an education, having large land holdings.) It is not by coincidence that anti-Catholicism has been called the "deepest held bias in the history of the American people."

Political Cartoon - Abandon Religious Liberty when it comes to Catholics

Why did white Americans hate Catholics? Many posit that it was a trait inherited from America's English roots. England was staunchly anti-Catholic, anti-Pope and anti-Rome since the Protestant Reformation. Laws were passed in English Parliament forbidding Catholics from holding Parliamentary office and an even more disconcerting law forbade Catholics from inheriting the throne. This attitude towards Catholics migrated towards the New World, where many of our Founding Fathers were convinced that a Catholic could not be a "good American" because he would have a more powerful allegiance to the Pope. 

Political cartoon showing the KKK defending America from the evil grip of Rome

This “otherness” and hatred applied to Catholics didn't seem like such a big deal in America's early history. Roughly 1% - 2% of the population was Catholic in the early 1800s. However, large scale immigration was about to occur – and change the stats dramatically. Millions of Italians and Irish arrived in America in the late 1800s. No less than 90% of them were fiercely Catholic.

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This was not a politically correct time in America. People were not tolerant of their new neighbors. Newspaper editorials wrote about the new immigrants in a way a space traveling journalist would describe newly discovered barbaric species on other planets – with shock, disdain and abject horror. A line was drawn by American society long ago : White (Male) Protestants to the right – all others to the left. Very few were allowed to cross that line – and Italians were no exception. Why? Because they weren't white – not by a long shot. They didn't have white features, they didn't have white language and they certainly did not have white religion.

Regarding The Italian Population Political Cartoon  (from upper left to bottom right) - A nuisance to Pedestrians; Their Sleeping Apartments; Afternoon's Pleasant Diversions (knifing each other); The Way to Dispose of Them; The Way to Arrest Them.

It was very clear to newly arrived immigrants – if they wanted to survive and thrive in America they needed to assimilate. They needed to get as far away from their language, customs and traditions as quickly as possible. The race to “be white” had begun.

Check out Part # 2 - If Italians aren't white, what are we?

Check Out Part # 3 - White is an American thing

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