Abstract:

From the beginning of the 19th century, the first sources of information from the Ottoman territory of the Americans were missionaries. They were prejudice to the Turks. The U.S. government, which has followed the national struggle with interest, has taken a more moderate attitude towards the Turks, taking into account the pre-war situation. The revolutionary process in Turkey, which began with the abolition of the Sultanate, and especially the secular practices, were followed with great interest by the American government. They first followed the steps taken on the way of secularity through the High Commissioner's office in Istanbul and then the Embassy, preparing research and reports and sending them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They have given a special place to the religious subject in their traditional annual reports. The U.S. High Commissioners and Ambassadors of the Period have provided the details of the practices such as the removal of the Hilafetin, the closure of the texts, the turbs and the zaviyas, the literary revolution, the religious reform, the turquoise of the worship, the closure of the medreses, and how it is assessed in the Turkish public, the opinions of the official authorities and the press reflections. They have also added their own comments on these topics. The U.S. press has also informed the public, closely monitoring the revolution in the secularity field. In addition to curiosity and interest, they watched the revolutions with a bit of confusion. They approached these changes from a critical point of view. This revolution in Turkey has often been appreciated. This change in Turkey has influenced the breakdown of many Americans' preliminary judgments on Turkey.