Activities of American Schools in Bursa and Izmir during The First World War, with American Archive Documents (1914-1918)

Abstract

The first work of American missionaries in the Ottoman Empire began with their landing in Izmir in 1819 and spread throughout the empire within 100 years. American missionaries, who carried out Protestantization efforts through the American Board Organization, organized the Protestant community within the Ottoman Empire. American Protestant missionaries paid special attention to the field of education. They opened more than 400 schools within the Ottoman Empire. They educated students to become Protestants and expanded their missionary work. Of these schools, Robert College in Istanbul; International College in İzmir; Bursa American College for Girls in Bursa; the Syrian Protestant College in Beirut; and the American College in Tarsus are among the leading ones. This article aims to evaluate the activities of American Protestant missionary schools in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War (1914-1918) by focusing on Bursa American Girls’ College and Izmir International College, were tried to be evaluated in general.