Asbarez: America at 250 and the Armenians

America marks 250th anniversary (AI generated image for Asbarez)

Today marks America’s 250th anniversary with events across the country—including among Armenian-Americans—celebrating this historic milestone.

Armenians have played a crucial role in shaping our nation and as our communities organized and grew they contributed to the progress and achievements of America as a nation.

The first Armenian on record to have settled in the Colonies was Martin the Armenian. Also known as John Martin (or Hovhannes Martikian), he was originally from Isfahan, Iran and arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1618, two years before the Mayflower landed on Plymouth Rock and more than 150 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed. He was said to be brought over by the English because of his expertise in sericulture—the practice of breeding and raising silkworms for the commercial production of raw silk—and has been credited with helping introduce silkworms to the colony and working as a successful tobacconist.

While there are few historical records kept from the those days, Armenian presence in America—the United States—became more pronounced in the late 1800s as many fled the Hamidian Massacres that are seen as a harbinger of the Armenian Genocide. Armenians settled mainly in Worcester, Massachusetts and Fresno, California and used their prowess in industry and agriculture to not only establish successful businesses but to lay the foundations of the Armenian-American community as we know it today.

The Armenian Genocide saw a significant influx of Armenians, who joined their brethren who had escaped similar atrocities at the hands of the Ottoman Turks decades earlier. These new immigrants had a place to land in fledgling communities that had already taken root and continued to grow, becoming part and parcel to the American society that they had landed in.

The storied “American Immigrant Experience,” which professes that hard work and determination can provide for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” as is outlined in the Declaration of Independence, became a driving force for many early immigrants. Their ingenuity, resilience and drive have not only yielded personal successes but have contributed to the advancement of America.

American history cannot be told today without underscoring the role that Armenian-Americans have played in shaping this country. There is an Armenian-American who has impacted all facets of life in this country—business, technology, medicine, the arts, cinema, education, law, agriculture, academia, government and more—leaving an indelible mark on how Americans live their lives today. That too must become part of the celebration—and affirmation—of America’s semiquincentennial.

By the same token, Asbarez has also played a role in shaping American history by chronicling the development and progress of Armenian Americans for almost 120 of those 250 years.

In 1908, the seven giants—Abraham K. Seklemian, Hovaness Kabadayan, Avedis Tufenkjian, Karapet Setrakian, Aslan Aslanian, Bedros Hagopian, and Levon Hagopian—founded Asbarez in Fresno. The mission was simple: to provide accurate information to the community, to become an arena [Ասպարէզ] for the free exchange of opinions and commentary and to become a bridge to the homeland.

That simple, yet all encompassing, mission still holds true for Asbarez today, making it a vital institution that has chronicled the Armenian community from its humble roots to the powerhouse it has become. In addition to news about the developments in Armenia and the community, Asbarez has shined a light on the innovators, trailblazers, military personnel and war veterans of Armenian descent who have, and continue to, play an integral role and shape this nation—America.

There have also been down sides to being an Armenian-American. “Dirty Armenians” and “Armo” are some of the epithets that have been used to insult and discriminate Armenians then and now. From efforts to restrict Armenians from buying property in the San Fernando Valley in the 1950’s and 1960’s to American corporate giants, such as Citi Bank, denying them services because of their ethnicity are some of the myriad hurdles Armenians have had to overcome.

Despite eyewitness dispatches from diplomats stationed in the Ottoman Empire, and copious coverage at the time of Genocide by prominent news outlets such The New York and United Press International, as well a Congressional mandate at the behest of the President of the United States to start the Near East Relief effort that salvaged hundreds of thousands of Armenian Genocide survivors, Armenian-Americans had to fight the White House and Congress for decades for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and justice. Despite an official White House recognition of the events of 1915 in 2021, following two unanimous votes in the House of Representatives and the Senate, today the current administration is back undercutting American commitment to human rights and justice.

Armenian-Americans are continuing that very fight as the United State, once again, sat idly by during the Turkish and Azerbaijani attack on Artsakh, which eventually saw the forced displacement of its Armenian population by Azerbaijani forces in what many noted human rights activists have termed ethnic cleansing and genocide.

As Americans we, the people, are the guarantors of the Bill of Rights enshrined in the Deceleration of Independence and the Constitution of this great nation and we must be vigilant that they are not trampled upon and are preserved at all costs, as a guiding force for all our fellow citizens.

Happy 250th Birthday America.

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