A sociological, political, and cultural history of Italians in America, this book's chapters discuss (1) Italian explorers, intellectuals, and artisans who participated in the settlement and establishment of the United States; (2) socioeconomic conditions in nineteenth century Italy that led to mass emigration; (3) the distribution of Italian immigrants around the United States and their particular concentration in cities; (4) the socioeconomic life of Italians in American cities until World War I; (5) economic adjustment of Italians to American labor and employment opportunities before 1920; (6) the politics of the Italian urban districts and the centrality of the "machine"; (7) cultural and social life in Italian communities; (8) impact of immigration upon Italian family life before 1920; (9) roles of Italians in American culture and public life between the world wars; and (10) emergence of the ethnic Italian American after World War II. The book concludes with an annotated bibliography. (KH)