I am an italian-american

I am an Italian-American
By Angelo Bianchi, Esq., 1982

I am an Italian-American. My roots are deep in an ancient soil, drenched by the Mediterranean sun, and watered by pure streams from snowcapped mountains. I am enriched by thousands of years of culture. My hands are those of the mason, the artist, the man of the soil. My thoughts have been recounted in the annals of Rome, the poetry ofVirgil, the creations of Dante, and the philosophy of Benedetto Croce. I am an Italian-American, and from my ancient world, I first spanned the seas to the New World. I am Cristoforo Colombo. I amGiovanne Caboto known in American History as John Cabot, discoverer of the mainland of North America. I am Amerigo Vespucci, who gave my name to the New World, America First to sail on the Great Lakes in1679, founder of the territory that became the State of Illinois, colonizer of Louisiana and Arkansas, I am Enrico Tonti. I am Filippo Mazzei friend of Thomas Jefferson, and my thesis on the equalityof man was written into the Bill of Rights. I am William Paca, signer of the Declaration of Independence. I am an Italian-American; I financed the Northwest Expedition of George Rogers Clark andaccompanied him through the lands that would become Ohio, Indiana , Wisconsin and Michigan I am Colonel Francesco Vigo. I mapped the Pacific from Mexico to Alaska and to the Philippines, I am AlessandroMalaspina. I am Giacomo Belinimi, discoverer of the source of the Mississippi River in 1823. I created the Dome of the United States Capitol. They call me the Michelangelo of America. I am ConstantinoBrumidi. In 1904, I founded in San Francisco, the Bank of Italy now known as the Bank of America, the largest financial institution in the world, I am A.P. Giannini. I am Enrico Fermi, father of nuclearscience in America. I am Steve Geppi, founder of Diamond Comics, the largest distributorship of comics on the planet.

I am the first enlisted man to earn the Medal of Honor in World War II; I...