I deliberately bolded the name of our nation in the title of this week’s blog for two obvious reasons. To wit:
a) It’s the 4th of July and b) The name is an actual name: Amerigo Vespucci, an explorer and contemporary of Cristoforo Colombo.
As crazy it might sound, most Americans never really make the association between America and Amerigo. If so, it’s casually dismissed as “quaint.”
According to this train of thought, the name isn’t really central to the United States. After all, we don’t speak Italian here, do we? And it is named after an obscure (to most Americans) explorer who might as well be as hazy as a character in a fairy tale. That’s as far as the Italy/America connection goes.
But is it?
For those of us who view the Italic heritage as more than just Nonna‘s meatballs, please check out the chart I composed at the end of my blog.
The simple fact is that the “Italian” roots of America go very deep. It was classical Italy, not England, whom our Founding Fathers used as a blueprint.
Then there are the facts which the American media ignores, including people like Thomas Jefferson’s neighbor, Filippo Mazzei, honored with a US postage stamp; over 1,000 places in America with Italian names; or events like the US war against the Barbary Pirates in 1801, assisted by Salvatore Catalano.
According to our national narrative, the Italians really never came to America until the great wave between 1880-1920.
Tell that to the Genovesi and Lucchese in San Francisco (1840s) and to the Sicilians in New Orleans (1850s).
Or, earlier, the Sicilian musicians recruited by Thomas Jefferson when he reorganized the US Marine Band in 1804, led by maestro Gaetano Carusi.
The next time you see that proud eagle displayed during July 4th, whether on a flag or a decoration, just remember: It is based on a Roman one.
And, last time I checked, Rome wasn’t a city in the United Kingdom. -BDC
| Classical Rome | Modern America |
| Political and economic superpower | same |
| Unified culturally diverse people | same |
| Government represented by a Senate | same |
| Protected citizens’ rights | same |
| Promoted the nuclear family | same |
| Organized efficient military | same |
| Built lasting roads | same |
| Built lasting sewer systems | same |
| Land and sea explorers | same |
| Eagle and dome as symbols of the nation | same |
| Latin mottoes on public buildings | same |
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