07/06/2026
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence, we invite you to read a special message from our Lodge President, Dom Addeo.
In his inspiring Independence Day letter, President Addeo reflects on the blessings of American freedom while highlighting the extraordinary contributions Italians and Italian Americans have made to the founding, growth, and enduring success of our nation. From the earliest explorers and Revolutionary patriots to generations of immigrants who helped build America, his message reminds us of the deep bond between our Italian heritage and our American identity.
We hope you'll take a few moments to read President Addeo's thoughtful letter and join us in celebrating the spirit of liberty, gratitude, and patriotism that has united generations of Americans.
Happy Independence Day from everyone at Amici d'Italia Lodge #2791! 🇺🇸🇮🇹
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From the President
Cari amici ~
How blessed are we as Americans to be alive to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence and the birth of our great nation. America, more specifically the USA, is sometimes called “the American Experiment” because of the unique nature of American representation, the three separate but equal branches of government, and the focus on and protection of the inalienable rights of American citizens.
We know that well before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Italians contributed significantly to the European discovery, naming, and founding of what became the United States. Of course, many of us were taught about Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, and Giovanni da Verrazzano. But what of Enrico Tonti, Eusebio Kino, and even John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), who established viable transatlantic routes and who aided in mapping and settling parts of North America?
Leading up to the signing of the Declaration, Italians and people of Italian descent played roles in the American Revolution and the early republic (ironically before Italy became a unified nation). Perhaps one of the most profound contributors was Philip Mazzei, a Tuscan physician, merchant, an Enlightenment thinker, and a close friend and neighbor of Thomas Jefferson in Virginia.
President John F. Kennedy, in his 1958 book A Nation of Immigrants, asserted that Philip Mazzei influenced the drafting of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, writing:
"The great doctrine 'All men are created equal' incorporated into the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, was paraphrased from the writing of Philip Mazzei, an Italian-born patriot and pamphleteer, who was a close friend of Jefferson… This phrase appears in Italian in Mazzei's own hand, written in Italian, several years prior to the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Mazzei and Jefferson often exchanged ideas about true liberty and freedom."
Philip Mazzei transcended the ideas of freedom, as he also served in the Virginia militia and influenced revolutionary thought alongside figures like Thomas Paine. Further, it is no accident that Jefferson called his Virginia home, Monticello. Jefferson designed the main house using neoclassical design principles pioneered by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, whose palatial designs can be seen in the U.S. Capitol and Harvard University, among other places. Italian political and philosophical traditions, from ancient Rome to Enlightenment thinkers like Cesare Beccaria (On Crimes and Punishments) and Gaetano Filangieri (The Science of Legislation), influenced the Founding Fathers' ideas on republicanism, law, and liberty.
After the Revolution and well into the 1800s, smaller numbers of Italians settled in the U.S. (e.g., artists, musicians, and professionals). Among them was Constantino Brumidi, who painted the Brumidi Corridors, the fresco Apotheosis of Washington, and half of the Frieze of American History, all in the U.S. Capitol. Filippo Costaggini completed the remaining scenes in 1889 using Brumidi's sketches.
Of course, many of our ancestors came with the major waves of Italian immigration from the late 1800s through the early 20th century, bringing with them a variety and diversity of talents and skills, including a nonpareil industriousness. Combined with their hunger for freedom and the opportunity to thrive in that freedom, Italian immigrants and their descendants helped build America literally and figuratively while existing productively at various levels of society. They provided essential labor for railroads, mines, factories, dams, tunnels, and much of major urban infrastructure.
In science and innovation: Antonio Meucci developed an early precursor to the telephone. Enrico Fermi (Nobel laureate) led key work on the first controlled nuclear chain reaction and the Manhattan Project. Broader impacts include military service, business, politics (e.g., Fiorello La Guardia), arts, sports, and philanthropy (e.g., Mother Cabrini). Like many of you, members of my family served proudly in the U.S. Military. At 16, my paternal grandfather, Dominic, enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in the last active mounted horse cavalry in World War I, where he fought in three major battles. Two uncles, including my Godfather, served during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Throughout, Italian Americans have enriched U.S. culture through food, family values, labor activism, and countless contributions across fields, while overcoming early discrimination and economic challenges.
Looking forward, in the next 250 years, the OSDIA will work to preserve our rich Italian heritage for our children, grandchildren, and future generations, who will hopefully celebrate such future milestones, remembering the inextricable link between their Italian heritage and their American heritage and the contributions of their ancestors in sustaining it.
God bless America and the American experiment.
Grazie e ciao,
Dom.
