Özet:

The main objective of this study is to monitor the activities of the American Protestant missionaries who began to operate in the Monastery province from 1873 to 1913. In this context, the influence of missionary work on the social and political life of the region, and the measures taken by the Ottoman authorities, as well, have been attempted to reveal. The Monastery Station, which was founded in October 1873 according to the European Turkey Mission, was the westernmost station of the American Board. The missionaries at this station opened a school for girls in 1878 and a orphanage in 1904. Some of the households used as residence have also been operated for health and education purposes. The missionaries, along with the educational institutions they opened, also conducted religious book printing and distribution activities for the purpose of communicating Protestanism. The Ottoman state was forced to sign a treaty in 1901 that recognized the French institutions with privileges such as property tax exemption and customs impairment. This agreement has made it a signature for other states, and in this context the US missionaries have taken action since 1903 to enjoy the same rights. As a result of long persistences and political maneuver, in 1907, American institutions, such as the monastery’s school and the orphanage, obtained the right to benefit from the exemptions recognized by other states, provided that the conditions of the law were provided. In this framework, missionaries have continued their efforts to make the U.S. political influence in the region clear. The sources of the research were based on existing documents in the Ottoman Archive. The missionary reports and other sources that provide information about the activities of U.S. Protestant missionaries in the Monastery province were also taken into account.