History: Four Centuries
A documented history of the people, events and institutions that connect the United States and Armenia, from 1618 to today.
The relationship between the United States and Armenia is one of the oldest, and least told, stories in American history. It begins with a single Armenian in colonial Virginia in 1618.[1] It runs through American mission schools in Anatolia, the humanitarian response to the genocide, the rise of a large and influential diaspora, and a strategic partnership signed in 2025.[2,3]
This history is organized into five chapters, alongside a year-by-year timeline and profiles of the people and communities behind it. Each chapter includes a section guide, key dates, and numbered references linking to primary records, official sources and scholarship. A combined bibliography lists every source used on the site.
The Chapters
First Encounters: Colonists, Missionaries and Pioneers
Jamestown's Martin the Armenian, mission colleges in Anatolia and the founding of Worcester's first Armenian church.
Read →II 1894–1923Catastrophe and Compassion: Genocide, Relief and the First Republic
How Americans answered the genocide: Clara Barton, Morgenthau, the $116 million Near East Relief drive, the Harbord Mission and Wilson's map.
Read →III 1924–1991Building Armenian America: Exile, Community and Memory
Immigration quotas, exiled heroes, the 1965 turning point, the long push for recognition and help after the 1988 earthquake.
Read →IV 1991–2017Independence and Partnership: A New Bilateral Relationship
Washington recognizes independence; the FREEDOM Support Act, Section 907, close to $2 billion in aid, the Millennium Challenge and defense ties.
Read →V Recent YearsThe Strategic Era: Recognition, Charter and Peace Diplomacy
Genocide recognition by Congress and the White House, the 2025 Charter, the Washington summit and new 2026 agreements.
Read →Keep Exploring
Timeline of U.S.–Armenia Ties
The key moments of four centuries, year by year.
Read →◆ TodayDiplomacy & Economy
Diplomatic ties, U.S. assistance and investment, trade, security and the 2025 Charter.
Read →◆ ProfilesFamous Armenians in America
The writers, entrepreneurs, scientists and leaders, from Saroyan to Kerkorian and Manoogian, who left their mark on both countries.
Read →◆ TodayArmenian America Today: Communities, Faith and Influence
From Fresno and Watertown to Glendale and Little Armenia: where Armenian Americans live and how their communities thrive.
Read →◆ AdvocacyChampions of the Armenian Cause: Armenian American Advocates
The journalists, scholars, organizers and lawmakers, from Cardashian to Sassounian and Hovannisian, who kept Hay Dat alive in America.
Read →We favor primary and official sources, including U.S. State Department records, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and contemporary reporting, supplemented by scholarship and reference works. Where historical figures are contested, we say so. See an error? Send us a correction.
References
- Wikipedia — “Armenian Americans.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Americans
- Wikipedia — “Near East Relief.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_East_Relief
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia — “Bilateral Relations: United States.” https://www.mfa.am/en/bilateral-relations/us