Form Italy to U.S.

            Hello. My name is Adriana DiMaggio. I am fifteen years old. As of right now, I am living in Italy. The year is 1927. Life is harsh. I live in a rural community. It is extremely overcrowded, and we are facing low wages and high taxes. On top of that, there is very little education. It is difficult for my parents to support my brother, Marco, and I.

            These are the least of our problems. Benito Mussolini came into rule, leading the Fascist Party. We have little control over our lives. The Blackshirts, who enforce authority, are very cruel. Murderous tactics are rarely used. Instead, a favored way to make people conform is to tie a troublemaker to a tree, force them to drink castor oil and eat a live frog.

            Mussolini expects young boys to become soldiers and girls to be good mothers. He wants a large population; a goal that is out of reach. He persuades people to increase the population by giving better tax benefits to large families.

            Many anti-Fascists are fleeing from Italy for their own safety. People are getting put in jail on remote Mediterranean islands with crude conditions. The secret police, called the OVRA, made sure that those who offended Mussolini were punished.

            These are the reasons my family is trying to immigrate to the United States. Immigration is an opportunity for liberation. The land is said to be plentiful and the education is better. Most of all, America has freedom.

            We can’t take many belongings with us to the United States. So far, we have not had any problems with immigration restrictions.