Aspects of Italian immigration to the United States outlined in this guide include: (1) historical precedents for the Italian migration to North and South America; (2) economic reasons for the migration; (3) costs and resulting permanence of the migration; (4) characteristics of the family and individuals who migrated; (5) assimilation of these immigrants into the employment structure of American society; (6) resistance and discriminatory attitudes they experienced; (7) the inability of the Italians to maintain their family based culture due to America's societal, economic, and cultural pressures; (8) the limited social and cultural assistance of the Catholic Church; and (9) the turning of the immigrants to mutual benefit societies, the immigrant press, politics and crime, alternative institutional means to achieve economic influence, social stability, political advantage, and personal gratification. Also outlined are problems faced by Italian Americans in America today. They include difficulties with their self-concept and their ethnic identity. Appended are tables showing Italian immigration to the United States by years and distribution of Italian born immigrants by decade and state. An extensive bibliography is included. (EB)