儘管移民史是美國歷史上的一個重要的研究主題，然而至成還沒有人做過亞洲移民和歐洲移民之間的比較研究。本文藉由比較中國和義大利移民的居住模式、歷史背景及族群特性等，在他們被移民到美國以後所發生的不同變化，證明移民在美國的適應過程不完全是舊世界文化傳統的延續，也不完全是在新環境下憑空產生出來的東西，而是舊傳統和新環境之間相互作用而產生的結果。 美國在立國前夕，十三個北美英屬殖民地的人民已在特殊的政治、經濟、社會和文化等環境中形成了統一的美利堅民族。在建國以後，特別是進入二十世紀之後，由於世界各地越來越多的不同族群的移民紛至沓來，使美國成為有更多族群的社會。新移民是否融入美國主流社會，這是美國能否保持統一的美利堅民族的重要問題。在這個課題上，學者專家們是見仁見智。本文試圖以美國中國移民與義大利移民間的比較研究，從政治、法律層面和經濟、社會層面以及文化、心理層面進行分析，論述移民逐漸融入美國主流社會的情況，說明美國這一由移民租成的多民族社會中，終成統一的美利堅民族。這首先是統一地體現在政治、法律層面上和經濟、社會層面上以及不同程度地體現在文化、心理層面上；其次，中國移民與義大利移民這二族群在私生活領域的心理和價值觀方面又或多或少地保留原族群的傳統，體現了多元文化，並一代接一代地向美國主流文化趨同。這種嘗試性探討可以為理解統一的美利堅民族提供一個新的視角。

Many student of American social history have stressed the importance of the backgrounds in the immigrants’ adjustment to American life. The adaptation of Italian and Chinese offers an illuminating case study of the differential role in American urban setting between 1865 and 1965. It goes without saying that, in addition to the family, there were other institutions, such as the district organization, which also facilitated the newcomers’ adjustment. This article is focused mainly on the adaptation of the immigrant family and social background, which had its unique characteristic in addition to some similar roles played by all these institutions. After all, it was because of their strong family ties that the Italian were frequently referred to as the “Chinese of Europe.” In many ways, the Italian and Chinese experiences looked similar. It was during the same decade the 1880s, for example, that the two immigrant groups arrived in America in large numbers although they came to the city for different reasons: Italians made New York their first choice in migrating to the United States due to the abundant employment opportunities offered in the city while the Chinese moved here in an effort to avoid the anti-Chinese movement in California. By 1890s, several Little Italys and Chinatowns ahd become a salient feature of the city’s life. Furthermore, both groups had largely agrarian backgrounds. However, the question of whether the two immigrant groups’ familism had the same quality and played the same role in their adjustment has not received sufficient attention. By comparing the lives of Italian and Chinese immigrants, this article aims to explore these questions, and discuss the complicating roles played by discrimination and ethnic heritage in shaping the experiences of the two immigrant groups.