Description
In this thesis I argue that American missionaries in the Ottoman Empire shaped American perceptions of the Armenian Genocide. I trace how this influence took shape as a result of missionaries' responses to the Armenian massacres of 1894-1896, which set a precedent for how missionaries would influence the American public during and after the genocide of 1915. The missionaries spread knowledge of the events of 1915 through their eyewitness testimonies and relationships with foreign diplomats in the Ottoman Empire. These accounts, in turn, influenced American politics by inspiring the creation of large-scale national relief programs and delaying the US entry in World War One. The missionaries' accounts were compelling enough that many Americans recognized the violence as a systematic eradication of the Armenians by Ottoman authorities. While today the United States does not formally recognize the tragic events of 1915 as genocide, discussing how the United States perceived the genocide while it was underway clearly shows that missionaries played a central role in shaping Americans' understandings of the violence perpetrated against Armenians.
Details
Title
- THE ROLE AMERICAN MISSIONARIES PLAYED IN AMERICAN PERCEPTIONS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Contributors
- Hull, Christina Renee (Author)
- Bruner, Jason (Thesis director)
- Kefeli-Clay, Agnes (Committee member)
- Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
- School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2015-05
Resource Type
Collections this item is in