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American Dream (1945-Today)
The post-WWII years are chronicled. Many Italian-Americans enter the middle class, yet some stereotypes prove hard to shake. Despite epitomising cool to many, for instance, Frank Sinatra is haunted by claims of Mafia ties; and New York governor Mario Cuomo endures similar rumours. Strides are made, however: Antonin Scalia becomes the first Italian-American Supreme Court justice in 1986; and Nancy Pelosi becomes the first woman and Italian-American elected to Speaker of the House in 2007., The post-WWII years are chronicled. Many Italian-Americans enter the middle class, yet some stereotypes prove hard to shake. Despite epitomizing cool to many, for instance, Frank Sinatra is haunted by claims of Mafia ties; and New York governor Mario Cuomo endures similar rumors. Strides are made, however: Antonin Scalia becomes the first Italian-American Supreme Court justice in 1986; and Nancy Pelosi becomes the first woman and Italian-American elected to Speaker of the House in 2007., In post-war America, Italian Americans seem finally to have arrived. They move to the suburbs, attend college and enter the middle-class, but even the more successful among them, Frank Sinatra included, are haunted by accusations of mafia ties. Governor Mario Cuomo, the son of Italian immigrants, achieves great success as, in later years, do Antonin Scalia and Nancy Pelosi, but could there be an Italian American president? Have Italian Americans finally shed the old stereotypes? Part of .
