Many Italians came to America during the colonial period. In fact, Christopher Columbus, an Italian, discovered the land that would later be colonized and become the United States. Italians often came to the United States for employment opportunities. Furthermore, some of these Italians were commissioned to come over and work in the colonies. Many of the Italian craftsmen who came over to work were asked by the colonies to do so. Venetian glass makers were brought to Jamestown to instruct others in the colonies and promote the trade. Additionally, Italians made other contributions to the colonial period. An Italian immigrant who contributed to the American way of thinking during this time was Philip Mazzei who made and active contribution to the Revolution by promoting a break from England. His views later helped to inspire Thomas Paine's Common Sense. There were also Italians such as Captain Richard Talliaferro and Ferdinando Finizzi who fought in the American Revolution. Additionally, Francesco Vigo assisted American's in gaining the Old Northwest Territory. And there were many other great contributions Italians made to America during the colonial period.

             There was more than one wave of massive Italian immigration to the United States, the second wave arriving from 1880-1910. This wave of immigration occurred for three primary reasons, the improvements of transport facilities, the economic crisis in Italy, and the booming labor demand of the United States. Furthermore, poverty, disease, and starvation in Italy caused many Italians to leave in search of more opportunity. Because of this, Italians were not always received the same was as immigrants who had come before them. These "Italians were looked upon as different from the older generations of immigrants and were often viewed as lower class" (Di Benedetto 9). Because these new Italians often lived in ghettos in the United States and performed some of the dirtier forms of labor, they were labeled as inferior by many Americans.