page_title: History of Italian Americans in Boston
section_title: 1930s
hierarchical_section_title: History of Italian Americans in Boston / History / 1930s
caption_attribution_description: English: Italian WPA workers doing roadwork on High Street, Dorchester (Boston), 1930s.
context_page_description: Not all of the 5.3 million Italians who immigrated to the United States between 1820 and 1978 came through Ellis Island. Many came through other ports, including the Port of Boston. Exactly how many stayed in Boston is not known, but it was enough to make Italians the second largest ancestry group in Boston, after the Irish. Most settled initially in the North End; others settled in East Boston, the West End, Roxbury, and other neighborhoods.
  Most of Boston's Italian immigrants were southern Italians who had little money and could not speak English. They faced many hardships in the early years, including exploitation and discrimination. Contrary to popular myth, they did not improve their lot solely by working hard; they held protest rallies, organized labor unions, and were extremely active in the Democratic party. In addition, they were aided by local charitable organizations, mutual aid societies, and federal programs such as the Works Progress Administration and the G.I. Bill.
  After World War II, with the help of the G.I. Bill, many were able to attend college and join the ranks of the middle class. Many obtained home loans through the G.I. Bill and moved to the suburbs.
context_section_description: By 1930 the North End was more densely populated than Calcutta, with more than 44,000 Italians living in an area less than a mile square. Most lived in overcrowded tenements with shared outdoor toilets. Fewer than 20% of the apartments had baths; residents bathed in sinks or public bath houses. At the same time, there was comparatively little street crime in the neighborhood.
  In the late 1930s, sociologist William Foote Whyte spent several years living in the North End, studying the social dynamics of the local gangs and bookmakers. His original plan was to come back later and study the people's family and religious life, but health problems interfered. In 1943 he published a groundbreaking case study titled Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of an Italian Slum which became a bestseller and a classic college text for students of sociology and anthropology. Years after the book's publication, Whyte revealed the identities behind the pseudonyms he had used in his study. Among them were Joseph A. Langone, Jr. and his wife Clementina, who appear in the book as Mr. and Mrs. George Ravello.
  Mr. and Mrs. Langone were influential in Depression-era Boston politics. Joseph A. Langone, Jr. ran the Langone family funeral home, which handled the funeral of Sacco and Vanzetti. As a first lieutenant in the Massachusetts State Guard, he had once led a company during the Boston Police strike of 1919. He was elected to the Massachusetts State Senate in 1932, narrowly defeating six Irish-American candidates, and ending years of Irish political domination in his district, which included East Boston, Charlestown, and the North, West, and South Ends. He went on to serve four consecutive terms, and was Boston Election Commissioner in several James Michael Curley administrations. Langone's wife "Tina" was also well known in the community. As a member of the Massachusetts Board of Immigration and Americanization, she helped countless local Italian immigrants assimilate and obtain U.S. citizenship. Langone Park in the North End is named for the couple.
  According to some historians, Italians in Boston were reluctant to apply for government relief during the Depression. Whyte writes in the introduction to Street Corner Society that "a large proportion of the population was on home relief or W.P.A." at the time. Being "on W.P.A." meant working on public projects funded by the Works Progress Administration, usually doing roadwork or construction.
caption: Italian-American WPA workers doing roadwork in Dorchester, 1930s.
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