Summary: During the heyday of the American missionary efforts during the 19th century, various Protestant societies targeted the lands of the Ottoman Empire. The most influential of these was the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), which worked in the Middle East and in the Balkans from 1819 onwards. Their aim was to spread Evangelical truths using a variety of methods. These included missionary preaching trips to villages and towns; publication and distribution of religious and educational literature, newspapers and magazines; opening of schools providing modern and quality education. The work of the American missionaries was not only to introduce the peculiarities of Protestantism to the Balkan population, but also to exert a broader cultural influence and popularize ideas and practices that contributed to the modernization of the Balkans during the 19th century.
Keywords: Protestantism, American missionaries, Ottoman Balkans
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