The nationality problem of Ottoman Armenians within the scope of Ottoman American relations

The American government made a presence felt in the Ottoman lands since the beginning of the 19th century through the American merchants and ABCFM missionary organization. As a result of their activities in the region, they started to have relations with Armenians who were Ottoman subjects. Later, the first diplomatic attempts for both states became official with an agreement between the Ottoman Empire and the USA in 1830. The United States of America obtained a privileged status as a result of this agreement with the Ottoman Empire and this caused its presence in the Ottoman lands day by day. The troublesome period of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century paved the way for the USA to expand its activities in the region. In addition, this negative process caused the European States to adopt a political attitude against the Ottoman Empire. Also, the USA tried to attract Armenians to its side with the intervention of some American officials. In addition to this, the officials of the US government in the region distributed documents to the Armenians (protoge) without the permission of the Ottomans, using and patronizing the Armenians, first for commercial purposes, then for different purposes. As a result of these, the nationality problem arose between the Ottoman Empire and the Armenians. The fact that America provided convenience to Armenians at the point of both protecting and naturalizing Armenians who were Ottoman subjects caused Armenian migrations from the Ottoman Empire to America. As a consequence of this, the propaganda activities of the Armenians, who settled in America in time, started against the Ottoman Empire. Key Words: America, Armenians, Nationality, Ottoman.