Il Progresso Italo-Americano was an Italian-language daily newspaper in the United States, published from 1880 to 1988, when it was shut down due to a union dispute. In 1989, most journalists of Il Progresso reunited to create a new daily, America Oggi. In the early 20th century it was the most popular of New York's Italian newspapers, selling anywhere from 90,000 to 100,000 copies every day.[1]
Founded in 1879 by Carlo Barsotti, who was also the first director, the newspaper was a bully pulpit to raise funds for monuments by public subscription in the city of New York. From 1888 to 1921 Il Progresso Italo-Americano was promoting monuments to Giuseppe Garibaldi, Christopher Columbus, Giuseppe Verdi, Giovanni da Verrazano and Dante.[2]
Generoso Pope assumed the direction of the newspaper in 1928, after buying it for $2,050,000[3] and retained control until he died in 1950.[4] He doubled its circulation to 200,000 in New York City, making it the largest Italian daily newspaper in the country.