Amerikan Board ve Sason Ermeni syan ’n n Amerika’da Propaganda Arac Olarak Kullan lmas /// The American Board and the Usage of the Sason Armenian Revolt as a Propaganda Tool in the United States

The United States of America has been one of the external factors in the emergence of Armenian uprisings in Anatolia. Since the beginning of the nineteen century, the US had tried to utilize two instruments for constituting its interest in the Ottoman territories: trade and missionary activities. As modern imperialism advanced in the 19th century, with the help of these two instruments the US created an advantage against its rivals with an open door imperialism. Founded in 1820, the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) targeted Anatolian Armenians in its missionary work, opened missionary schools in Anatolia, paved the road for the Armenian uprisings through education of the Armenian youth, and planned to increase American influence in Anatolia. Furthermore, missionaries used the Armenian uprisings of the late 19th century as a propaganda machine to gather funding in the US and created an anti-Ottoman public opinion. This article argues that American Protestant missionaries used the Sason Armenian Revolt as a propaganda tool in the US and saw the revolt as an opportunity to raise funds for their mission.