I am writing a letter from the view point of an Italian immigrant in the 1920s. I am having trouble finding some sites that would give me reliable information about what their life is like and what kind of working conditions they have (hours, pay, opportunities for advancement and other related details). Do you know of any websites that would be useful (we are not allowed to use Wikipedia, either)? Thank you so much.

If you have ever watched the first part of the movie The Godfather II, you have seen it. There are two plots going on there -- the one with Al Pacino playing the head honcho, as the family makes its move to Las Vegas; and the one with Robert DeNiro playing the young Vito Corleone. It's the latter thread in the story that would help you.

The young Vito's life is shown from when he was about 7 and he still lived in Sicily, then his father, brother, and finally his mother were killed -- and he was smuggled out of the country to New York, where he ended up on Ellis Island. Next we see him as a young man with a young bride and a new baby son -- and it's in this section of the movie where you'd need to pay attention to the details.

What did the city streets and buildings look like?
Where did Vito and his young family live?
How did he make a living?
What happened when he lost his job?
And on and on ...

Find the movie...

I need to get my notes done tonight in order to do my rough draft tomorrow in class. And I'm not sure my teacher would appreciate me using a movie as a source for a writing assignment worth %25 of our grade.

I think you mean 25%.

Learning to use Google is a terrific skill:

http://www.google.com/webhp?rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS379US379&sourceid=chrome-instant&ix=sea&ie=UTF-8&ion=1#hl=en&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS379US379&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=everyday%20life%20%22little%20italy%22%20new%20york%201920s&pbx=1&oq=&aq=&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&gs_l=&fp=89c23c73c73127de&ix=sea&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1334&bih=613

Believe me, I have been researching for the past two hours on the internet (GOOGLE), and I worked hard researching all of class today.

Certainly! When conducting research on Italian immigrant life in the 1920s, it's important to verify the reliability of sources. While avoiding Wikipedia is a good start, there are other credible sources you can explore. Here are a few reputable websites for information on Italian immigrant life and working conditions during that era:

1. Library of Congress: The Library of Congress website (www.loc.gov) offers a vast collection of primary sources, such as photographs, documents, and interviews, that can provide valuable insights into the lives of Italian immigrants and their working conditions in the 1920s. You can use the site's search function to look for specific topics or browse their digital collections.

2. National Archives: The National Archives website (www.archives.gov) contains a wealth of historical information, including immigration records and government documents. These records can shed light on the experiences of Italian immigrants and provide statistical data on their working conditions and opportunities for advancement during that time.

3. Digital Public Library of America (DPLA): DPLA (www.dp.la) is an online collection of digitized resources from libraries, museums, and archives across the United States. It offers access to historical photographs, newspapers, and other documents that can provide insight into the daily lives of Italian immigrants and the working conditions they faced.

4. Immigration History Research Center: The Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota (www.ihrc.umn.edu) is a valuable resource for studying migration and immigrant experiences. They provide access to a variety of online resources, including oral histories, digitized documents, and research guides that may be relevant to your topic.

Remember, it's always important to critically evaluate the sources you find, looking for academic or scholarly works and citing them appropriately in your letter.