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In the minds of many, the 4th of July holiday is not associated with Italian American heritage. However, like many milestones in American history, Italians have made significant and lasting contributions to our independence.
Filippo Mazzei, a 43-year-old Italian doctor-turned-wine merchant, stepped off a ship in Virginia carrying grapevines, olive trees, ten Tuscan farmers—and an idea that would change the world.
Mazzei studied medicine in Florence before moving in 1755 to London, where he became a wine merchant. In 1773, Mazzei set sail for the American colonies. He intended to launch the development of olive and grape growing in Virginia. A number of dinners were hosted in his honor and he was introduced to the elite of Virginia society, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
When Jefferson met Mazzei, they talked for hours about wine, freedom, and equality. Jefferson was so captivated he gave Mazzei 193 acres to become his neighbor. The two men began a friendship that would last their entire lives.
While Mazzei’s workers planted Virginia’s first commercial vineyard at his plantation, he and Jefferson spent evenings discussing liberty and natural rights. Mazzei was more adept at expressing his political views in Italian, so, Jefferson, who was fluent in Italian, translated Mazzei’s writings into English.
In 1774, Mazzei wrote an article 1774 in the Virginia Gazette which read:
“Tutti gli uomini sono per natura egualmente liberi e indipendenti.Quest’ eguaglianza e’ neccessaria per costituire un governo libero. Bisogna che ognuno sia uguale all’oltro nel diritto natural.”
Jefferson translated that to read: “All men are by nature equally free and independent. This equality is necessary in order to create a free government. All men must be equal to each other in natural rights.”
Two years later, when Jefferson sat down to write the Declaration of Independence, Mazzei’s idea became immortal: “All men are created equal.”
When the Revolution came, Mazzei joined the Virginia militia. Then Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and George Mason sent him on a dangerous mission to Europe—secure loans and buy weapons for the Revolution.
Mazzei never returned to America. He died in Pisa in 1816, still writing to Jefferson, still dreaming of Virginia.
In 1994, the U.S. Congress finally recognized the truth: “the phrase in the Declaration of Independence ‘All men are created equal’ was suggested by Italian patriot and immigrant Filippo Mazzei.”
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