THE UNITED STATES IDENTITY FROM ITS ORIGIN TO 1876 IN SYRIA

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the origin and the early development of the Syrians' attitude toward the United States. The identity of the United States as an independent country did not evolve in Syria until more than fifty years after the Declaration of Independence. The major element in establishing this identity was the American missionaries. Notwithstanding trade contacts and subsequent diplomatic and consular presence, missionary activities continued to play the central role in determining America's image in Syria long after the establishment of America's independent identity.;The role of the missionaries will be pursued in this dissertation until 1870, when an important change in the missionary organization occurred.;In an appendix, a few selected excerpts from two contemporary Syrian periodicals are presented. One periodical was friendly to the American missionaries and the other was critical of their activities. The excerpts cover the period from 1870 to 1876 and illustrate the Syrians' perception of the United States at the time.;Who were the missionaries? Why did they go to Syria? Through what perspective did they see Syria and the Syrians? How did the Syrians view the United States through these evangelists? The topic of the missionaries became a controversial subject of studies by a number of authors. Evaluation of the missionaries' work ranged from salutory to antagonistic. The impact of their work has been far-reaching. It has even touched sensitive chords in the current politics of Lebanon.