DanLin O.
\”Armenian Genocide of 1915: An Overview (New York Times)\”
At first, I was unsure of what case to research about for this essay. I did not want to write about the Holocaust or the Japanese concentration camps because I felt that they were too common. So, I asked my peers for suggestions. And one of them mentioned to me the Armenian Genocide. Previous to my inquiry, I never heard about this genocide, not even in history classes. However, by briefly researching information about this genocide, I realized it was a major issue covered widely by the New York Times and many historians.
The Armenian Genocide was the massacre of over a million Armenians by the Turks after World War I. The Armenians were accused of siding with the Russians who defeated the Turks at the battle of Sarikemish. As a result, the Turks labeled the Armenians as a danger to Turkey. On April 24, 1915–considered the start of the genocide–hundreds of Armenian intellectuals were executed. And between 1915 to 1922, many more killings and deportations of Armenians to concentration camps took place. There were two million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire before World War I, but by the end of 1922, only about 400,000 Armenians survived.
Although I have not done extensive research on this topic yet, I believe I will be able to find many articles about the genocide within the New York Times database and within the databases of Baruch’s library. From my discussion of the Armenian Genocide, I hope to uncover the injustice of the genocide and why it is unnecessary for Turkey to pretend that the genocide never took place. My discussion will also include how pride of one’s race may lead to racism and racial injustice. Although the United States condemned the Nazis for the Holocaust, the United States actually sided with the villains for the Armenian Genocide. My discussion will also touch on this topic. I chose this case because even though it is similar to the Holocaust, it is also different. Researching about the Armenian Genocide will be interesting and thought provoking.
