Religious, racial and political persecution, the desperate need to help overcome economic struggles and famine pushed immigrants out of their homeland and towards America (Early Immigration 1900). In the 20th century, more Italians had immigrated to America than any other European. In 1900-1910 many immigrants from Italy moved to the United States in hopes of a better life. Due to all the natural disasters that have hit Italy, people have been left homeless, without money and some without families. The cities were destroyed and the people had nothing left. Italian immigrants never wanted to stay in the United States, they were looking for a job to earn enough money to bring back to their families in Italy (Digital History, McNeil, S). Most immigrants wanted to farm because it was a way of life they were familiar with and they believed they could earn enough money to survive. Unlike most immigrants, Italians did not want to cultivate agriculture, they preferred to work in the cities. Italian immigrants never expected to stay in the United States and so ended up living as cheaply as possible doing construction work. Half of the Italian immigrants between 1900 and 1910 were manual workers. They dug tunnels, laid railroad tracks, built bridges and roads, and built the first skyscrapers (McNeil, S, Digital History). Italian immigrants have taken over the United States in terms of immigrant population. Women worked but were almost never domestic. To balance the need to earn money and support the family's backbone, they would bring piece work into their homes. For Italians, like most immigrant groups, small businesses have served as help in advancing immigration status. Due to the lack of ethnic cohesion in America, the immigrant policy was unsuccessful in music and, thanks to the invention of the radio, they were able to move up the social ranks. The music industry and the use of the radio and the hand-cranked victrola allowed Americans to listen to recordings of opera stars. Broadway musicals became somewhat successful, as did ballroom dancing, which became a substitute for the dance known as the waltz. Scott Joplin, a musician, was a great example of how African Americans and immigrants used music as a means to succeed. Joplin was known for his ragtime music as "The Entertainer". “The Entertainer” was used in another famous entertainment known as silent films (American Cultural History). Cultural diffusion in the United States had grown enormously in the early 20th century. Paintings, architecture, music, and many other arts were brought primarily by immigrants (American Immigration, p. 79).