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other illegal activities, which would remain their foundation for more than a century. The Black Hand The first wave of Sicilians arrived in the United States in the 1840s, and over the next three decades, hundreds of thousands would flee the poverty of Sicily for the so-called “Promised Land.” These early immigrants headed, not for New York or Chicago, but for New Orleans. The climate was similar to their native island and, more importantly, there were jobs to be had. By 1890, Sicilians made up more than one-tenth of the population of New Orleans and had risen from the ranks of hired hands to become a major economic force in the city, controlling the markets in fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat. The vast majority of these immi- grants were legitimate businessmen who had prospered by ingenuity and hard work, but there was a minority who preyed on them and all the other citizens of New Orleans—the Mafia.

The funeral of New York police lieutenant Joseph Petrosino in 1908. Petrosino waged a one-man battle against the Mafia and was murdered during a visit to Sicily that had been arranged to establish links with the Sicilian police.

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The Mafia