OCTOBER 2009 Buongiorno! Italian Americans By Janna Charles Every year the president of the United States signs an executive order designating the month of October as National Italian American Heritage Month, in recognition of the many achievements and contributions made to American culture by persons of Italian heritage. Help DiversityCentral.com celebrate this rapidly growing population by taking this quiz!   QUESTIONS: According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, approximately how many people of Italian descent currently live in the United States? 26 million 100 million 12 million 36 million In what year did the first significant flux of Italian immigrants arrive in the American colonies? 1598 1819 1768 1657 What is Italian-born Amerigo Vespucci's "claim to fame?" He founded the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1908 He was the first Italian American elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives He was the first to advance the belief that the New World was a new continent; it was after this famous explorer that the Americas were named A close friend of Christopher Columbus, he discovered Newfoundland, Canada What famous American structure bares the imprint of Italian talent? The Empire State Building The Capitol Building The White House The Golden Gate Bridge What U.S. holiday is especially important to Americans of Italian descent? Labor Day Thanksgiving Columbus Day Memorial Day True or False: Speaking Italian was once illegal in the United States. True False Who was the first Italian-American to achieve Cabinet rank in the United States? Charles Bonaparte John Volpe Andres Cuomo Anthony Celebrezze What does the Italian-American slang word "mamaluke" refer to? Someone who did something foolish or silly A close friend or associate The blend of an Italian and an American dish The act of forgetting ANSWERS: A. 26 million. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there are over 26 million Americans of Italian descent in the United States, making them the fifth largest ethnic group after German, Irish, English and African Americans. SOURCE: http://italian.about.com/library/blniahmspecial.htm D. 1657. It was in 1657 that Italian immigrants first established a settlement of significant proportions in the American colonies. An estimated 300 Protestants from Piedmont landed in New York and went on to Delaware, where they organized the first government of the colony of New Amstel, now New Castle, Delaware. SOURCE: http://www.niaf.org/research/contribution.asp#demographic C. He was the first to advance the belief that the New World was a new continent; it was after this famous explorer that the Americas were named. The New World was named "America" for Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512), the Florentine explorer and geographer who was a friend to Christopher Columbus.  He sailed to the New World in 1499, landing in what is now Brazil. Vespucci was the first to advance the belief that the land discovered by Columbus was not India, but a new continent and for that, European cartographers named the New World in his honor. SOURCE: http://geography.about.com/cs/historicalgeog/a/amerigo.htm http://www.niaf.org/research/contribution.asp#demographic B. The Capitol Building. A concrete symbol of American democracy, the Capitol Building bears the imprint of Italian talent. Between 1855 and 1870, the Italian artist, Constantino Brumidi, decorated its interior dome, corridors and the President's Room where Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. SOURCE: http://www.niaf.org/research/contribution.asp#demographic C. Columbus Day. Italian-Americans throughout the United States view Columbus Day not only as a celebration of an alleged Italian's discovery of the New World, but as a way to recognize all Italian-American achievements. Many Italian-Americans host parades and gatherings as a way of celebrating their culture and heritage on this day. SOURCE: http://www.niaf.org/news/index.asp?id=123 B. False. Although speaking Italian was not technically illegal in the United States, it was informally discouraged as a result of anti-Italian sentiment that emerged during World War II, when the United States declared war with Italy. Many immigrants, clubs and stores made a point of not using Italian in public, while others stopped teaching the language to their children. The government surely encouraged this trend with its posters proclaiming, "Don't Speak The Enemy's Language! Speak American!" SOURCE: http://italian.about.com/library/weekly/aa102500a.htm A. Charles Bonaparte. Bonaparte (1851-1921) was the first American of Italian descent to achieve a Cabinet rank. He was a descendant of a celebrated Italian family (his great uncle was the famous Napoleon Bonaparte). Charles was born in Baltimore, received an education in France and earned a Law degree at Harvard University. An ethical minded citizen, he joined with Theodore Roosevelt in the reform movement of the late nineteenth century. When Roosevelt became president, he appointed Charles Bonaparte Secretary of Navy in 1905 and Attorney General in 1906. SOURCE: http://www.answers.com/topic/italian-american A. Someone who did something foolish or silly. Possibly derived from the Sicilian word "vavaluci" meaning small, this word is usually directed at males. The word may also be a veiled insult against one's manhood. When a father calls his son a mamaluke, the word is often followed by a swift palm-smack against the back of his head. While an insult, the term can be used in a teasing, almost affectionate manner. SOURCE: http://www.urbandicitonary.com TAKE MORE QUIZZES! Search for a variety of topics in our Cultural Diversity at Work Archive. Here are some to get you started! Famous African American Firsts by Molly Elfers How Much Do You Know About the U.S. Civil Rights Movement by Molly Elfers Celebrate American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month by Emily Sugiyama back to top

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