By: Kathryn Papas
While doing research for my summer internship with an Armenian organization, I have stumbled on articles about the denial of the Armenian Genocide within the United States. For years, American Armenians have tried to get the Armenian Genocide recognized by the US government. However, even if a recognition resolution is passed by the Senate, it is ultimately shot down.
The most recent news stories criticize President Trump for his direct denial of the Armenian Genocide… don’t believe me…
Quick recent summary, last November, the US Senate passed a resolution that recognized the killings. Soon after in December, the Trump Administration released a statement that it did not recognize the 1915 Genocide. This has been a longstanding issue outliving Trump’s Administration.
The fault for not recognizing the Armenian Genocide does not just lie with President Trump, though. It is a history of denial that has spanned across US presidents of different political parties, from George Bush to Barack Obama.
(Obama)
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/19/armenian-genocide-ben-rhodes-samantha-power-obama-349973
(All encompassing account of the denial)
https://journals.openedition.org/eac/361
The main reason why the denial happens is because politicians and members of government want to maintain good relations with Turkey. Turkey still does not recognize the Armenian Genocide and claims that the killings of Armenians and Turkish happened as a result of WWI.
As a kid growing up in Connecticut, we mainly focused on pilgrims, slavery, the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War in American History. In class, we talked about immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and China coming to the United States and facing discrimination. However, we never learned about war atrocities, such as the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 or the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Though they are atrocities that occurred in smaller and less well-known countries, they deserve to be studied and recognized starting in the classroom.
If the United States wants to grow into a more accepting country, we must start by teaching history as it happened and recognizing humanitarian issues and crimes.