AR159

An Assembly Resolution acknowledging the historical lynchings of Sicilians in New Orleans and recognizing Italian-American Heritage Month.

Whereas, Considered the largest mass lynching in the American South, 11 Italians were lynched in New Orleans on March 14, 1891, taking place just one day after nine of the men were acquitted in a trial for the murder of the New Orleans police chief David Hennessy; and

Whereas, These men were working-class immigrants employed as dockworkers, cobblers, fruit vendors, and tinsmiths, and were ordinary immigrants who arrived in the United States to build a better life for themselves and their families; and

Whereas, Salacious newspaper accounts vilified the acquitted men as monsters worthy of mob violence, echoing the mainstream belief that Italians were savages; and

Whereas, It was during this hostile climate that “mafia” was introduced into American English, a term that remains negatively associated with Italians and Italian-Americans to this day; and

Whereas, The Italian Consul in New Orleans, Pasquale Corte, understood the blood of innocents tainted American culture and contacted both the Louisiana governor and the New Orleans mayor asking for law enforcement to prevent mob violence against the Italian men, however both requests were declined; and

Whereas, Upon Mr. Corte’s urging, Italy demanded the United States to arrest and prosecute the mob leaders and provide compensation to the victims’ families; and

Whereas, The administration of President Benjamin Harrison initially refused Italy’s demands, citing the actions as a domestic matter that did not pertain to Italy; and

Whereas, However, as a man noted for his personal integrity and decency, President Harrison was troubled by the incident, knew that the lynching was morally wrong and understood that Italians faced bigotry, institutionalized discrimination, and mob violence; and

Whereas, President Harrison wanted to leave a legacy of rehabilitating United States foreign policy, especially after the Mexican-American War and the Civil War had tarnished American prestige in the world, and to rectify the situation in an effort to show the world a different side of America; and

Whereas, President Harrison agreed to pay $25,000 to the families of the murdered men, valued at approximately $900,000 today, and used his presidential office to acknowledge the contributions of Italians and Italian-Americans to the United States; and

Whereas, President Harrison’s acknowledgment of Italians and Italian-Americans marked the first time an American president would officially affirm the rightful place of Italians in the fabric of American life; and

Whereas, After the Civil War, Italy announced its gift of a statue of Christopher Columbus to the United States, which would be delivered to New York City; and

Whereas, President Harrison’s intention for a one-time celebration of Columbus Day evolved into recognition of a national holiday after popular acclamation for an annual observance; and

Whereas, In 2019, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued an official Proclamation of Apology to the Italian-American community, stating that, “what happened to those 11 Italians, it was wrong, and the city owes them and their descendants a formal apology…At this late date, we cannot give justice. But we can be intentional and deliberate about what we do going forward”; and

Whereas, Following its unanimous passage by both houses of the Legislature, Governor Jon Corzine signed AJR-97 in 2009, a bipartisan joint resolution designating October of each year as Italian-American Heritage Month; and

Whereas, The history of America and the State of New Jersey have been significantly influenced by the rich heritage of Italy, which includes the classical civilization of Rome, the fine arts of the Renaissance, the scientific and artistic genius of Leonardo da Vinci, the literary works of Dante and Petrarch, the operas of Verdi and Puccini, and many other contributions that have enriched civilization; and

Whereas, Over 5.4 million Italians emigrated to the United States between the years 1820 and 1991; and

Whereas, Approximately 1.5 million New Jerseyans, or about 18 percent of the State population, are of Italian descent; and

Whereas, It is appropriate to encourage American history classes in this State to highlight the contributions of Italian-Americans throughout American history; and

Whereas, It is altogether fitting and proper to acknowledge and condemn the historical lynchings of Italian-Americans and to recognize the significant accomplishments and contributions of the Italian-American community; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. This House acknowledges and condemns the historical lynchings of Italian-Americans.

2. This House recognizes October of every year as Italian-American Heritage Month to honor the significant accomplishments and contributions of Italian-Americans and to encourage American history classes throughout the State to discuss and examine the contributions of Italian-Americans to the history of this country.

3. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Governor of this State, the Mayor of New Orleans, and the Mayor of New York City.

STATEMENT

This House acknowledges the historical lynchings of Sicilians in New Orleans and recognizes Italian-American Heritage Month in New Jersey.

Considered the largest mass lynching in the American South, 11 Italians were lynched in New Orleans on March 14, 1891, taking place just one day after nine of the men were acquitted in a trial for the murder of the New Orleans police chief David Hennessy. These men were working-class immigrants employed as dockworkers, cobblers, fruit vendors, and tinsmiths, and were ordinary immigrants who arrived in the United States to build a better life for themselves and their families. Salacious newspaper accounts vilified the acquitted men as monsters worthy of mob violence, echoing the mainstream belief that Italians were savages. It was during this hostile climate that “mafia” was introduced into American English, a term that remains associated with Italians and Italian-Americans to this day.

The Italian Consul in New Orleans, Pasquale Corte, understood the blood of innocents tainted American culture and contacted both the Louisiana governor and the New Orleans mayor asking for law enforcement to prevent mob violence against the Italian men, however both requests were declined. Upon Mr. Corte’s urging, Italy demanded the United States to arrest and prosecute the mob leaders and provide compensation to the victims’ families. The administration of President Benjamin Harrison initially refused Italy’s demands, citing the actions as a domestic matter that did not pertain to Italy. However, as a man noted for his personal integrity and decency, President Harrison was troubled by the incident, knew that the lynching was morally wrong and understood that Italians faced bigotry, institutionalized discrimination, and mob violence. He wanted to leave a legacy of rehabilitating United States foreign policy, especially after the Mexican-American War and the Civil War had tarnished American prestige in the world, and to rectify the situation in an effort to show the world a different side of America.

President Harrison agreed to pay $25,000 to the families of the murdered men, valued at approximately $900,000 today, and used his presidential office to acknowledge the contributions of Italians and Italian-Americans to the United States. His acknowledgment of Italians and Italian-Americans marked the first time an American president would officially affirm the rightful place of Italians in the fabric of American life. Italy, after the Civil War, announced its gift of a statue of Chirstopher Columbus to the United States, which would be delivered to New York. President Harrison’s intention for a one-time celebration of Columbus Day evolved into recognition of a national holiday after popular acclamation for an annual observance.

In 2019, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued an official Proclamation of Apology to the Italian-American community, stating: “What happened to those 11 Italians, it was wrong, and the city owes them and their descendants a formal apology…At this late date, we cannot give justice. But we can be intentional and deliberate about what we do going forward.”

Over 5.4 million Italians emigrated to the United States between the years 1820 and 1991. The history of America and the State of New Jersey have been significantly influenced by the rich heritage of Italy. Approximately 1.5 million New Jerseyans, or about 18 percent of the State population, are of Italian descent. It is appropriate to encourage American history classes in this State to highlight the contributions of Italian-Americans throughout American history. It is fitting and proper to acknowledge and condemn the historical lynchings of Italian-Americans and to recognize the significant accomplishments and contributions of the Italian-American community.