Home Is Where You Hang Your Hat: Finding Garibaldi on Staten Island

Authors : Christine Contrada

Pages : 169-186

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Publication Date : 2023-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Giuseppe Garibaldi’s stay on Staten Island, New York in the humble home of Antonio Meucci is a little-known turning point in Garibaldi’s life, which invites a reconsideration of the Italian Risorgimento. The materiality of Meucci’s home and the objects it houses form the basis for exploring Garibaldi’s connection to the Italian American narrative. While historians lament that there is little which is new to say about Garibaldi, this episode on the margins of Garibaldi’s life, offers a richer portrait of a well-known figure during one of the most difficult periods of his life. The relationship between Garibaldi and Meucci remains a subject to investigate. When examining Garibaldi’s experience on Staten Island he still appears heroic, but he also emerges as being far more humanized.
Keywords : Antonio Meucci, Giuseppe Garibaldi, historical memory, Sons of Italy, Staten Island