May 19, 1919, is an important date to commemorate: The date Mustafa Kemâl Paşa (subsequently give the name of “Atatürk” by the grateful nation of Turkey) landed in the Black Sea port of Samsun to start the Turkish Independence Movement.

The Ottoman Empire had made the great mistake of entering World War I (1914–1918) on the side of Germany against the Allied Countries (Great Britain, France and Russia, also assisted by Italy and several Balkan states), and was defeated. Two developments created a desperate situation:

The Armistice of Moudros was signed between the Allied Powers and the Ottoman Empire on October 30, 1918, forcing the Empire to surrender its garrisons outside Anatolia, to demobilize, to transfer the control of the Straits of Dardanelles and Bosporus to the Allied Powers, and to occupy the Imperial capital Istanbul.

With the insistence of the British, the Allied Powers allowed Greek garrisons to land in Izmir and occupy the city and its surrounds on May 15, 1919.

These events triggered local reactions among the Turkish public in several parts of Anatolia. During this period, Mustafa Kemâl Paşa was in İstanbul; having gained national acclaim in the successful defense of the Dardanelles, he had connections with the Ottoman Government and Armed Forces, as well as with the Sultan. His ambition was to be appointed to a position in Anatolia, where he believed a national resistance movement could be sparked. Indeed, he managed to be appointed as the Inspector of the 9th Army Corps, to identify and organize the remaining Ottoman forces to quell any potential public uprising. On May 16, 1919, together with 18 appointed assistants, he left İstanbul on the steam ship Bandırma, heading for the city of Samsun on the Black Sea coast of Anatolia.

On May 19, 1919, Mustafa Kemâl Paşa landed in Samsun, and was greeted by a large crowd. On May 22, 1919, he sent a telegram to the Grand Vizier Damat Ferid Paşa, informing him that the unrest in the area was being instigated by the Greek guerillas, and that the occupation of İzmir by the Greek Forces was not acceptable to him or the Turkish public in the area. With the anticipation that the British navy may react to this message, on May 25, 1919, he moved about 50km inland, to Havza.

In Havza, on May 28, 1919, he issued the “Declaration of Havza,” an important announcement for the military and civil officers in Anatolia, using his authority as the Inspector of the 9th Army Corps, which in summary stated: “It is necessary to create national defense units (Units of the Nationalist Forces) immediately in order to stop regional occupations. If this is not possible, then the occupations should be protested by organized regional meetings in various places.” As a consequence of the Declaration of Havza, the formation of the units of Nationalist Forces gained more speed; protest meetings were organized and national consciousness was awakened. According to Mustafa Kemâl Pasha, the initiative and performance should now continue in a manner to ensure the unity and organization of the nation, rather than on a personal basis or in groups. Mustafa Kemâl left Havza on June 12, 1919, and transferred his headquarters further inland to Amasya, where some activities for unification appeared to be in progress.

Mustafa Kemâl Pasha arrived in Amasya on June 13, 1919. In the mean time, national societies were starting to get established independent of each other. Meetings had been scheduled in Kars, Trabzon and Erzurum. Uniting these regional national societies would more likely succeed in neutralizing the plans of the Allies aiming to divide the Turkish mainland, to allow the Greeks to take over the western Anatolia, the Armenians the eastern Anatolia, and the Rums in the Black Sea region. During the night of June 21–22, 1919, he dictated to his adjuvant Cevat Abbas Bey an announcement to be distributed throughout Anatolia: the “Amasya Circular”. He signed the document as the Inspector of the 9. Army Corps. On June 22, 1919, the circular was distributed by telegram to all commanders of the army corps and divisions, province governorships and districts. The main points of this Circular, which was the first important step on the way to establishing a new Turkish state are as follows:

1. The unity of the land and the independence of the nation are under danger.
2. The government in Istanbul is failing to fulfill its responsibilities. This situation makes our nation appear vanished.
3. The independence of the nation can only be saved by the determination and decisiveness of the nation.
4. The presence of a national committee that is free from any kind of pressure or control is essential in order to implement what is required to deal with the conditions faced by the nation, and to announce loudly to the world its rights.
5. The decision has been made to hold an urgent national meeting in Sivas, considered to be the safest place in Anatolia.
6. To implement this decision, three trustworthy representatives from each district (sanjak) of all provinces should start traveling to Sivas in the shortest time possible.
7. As a precautionary measure, this initiative should be kept as a national secret, and the representatives should travel to the destination while hiding their identity.
8. A congress representing the Eastern Provinces will convene on July 23 in Erzurum. The representatives of the planned meeting in Sivas could consider also attending the Erzurum Congress on their way to Sivas.

The Amasya Circular was an alert for national awakening, calling the Turkish nation to start a movement for national independence and sovereignty. It can be considered as the first attempt to establish the power of the nation as a substitute for the powerless behavior of the Sultan.

The history shows that the national unity has indeed materialized at the Erzurum Congress on July 23 – 7 August 7, 1919, followed by the Sivas Congress September 4 – 14, 1919, culminating in the formulation of the “Oath of the Nation” (Misak-ı Milli), and ultimately the establishment of the 1st Turkish Grand National Assembly on April 23, 1920, in Ankara.

TACAM is holding our annual Republic Day Ball on November 6, 2010, to celebrate.

Atatürk’s successes were highly respected by global leaders of the period and beyond, as evidenced below in these quotes:

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Former President of the United States of America

I obtained information concerning Mustafa Kemâl from someone who knows him very well. When talking with Foreign Minister Litvinov of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, he said that in his opinion, the most valuable and interesting statesman in all of Europe does not live in Europe today, but beyond the Bosphorus, he lives in Ankara, and that this was the President of the Turkish Republic, Gazi Mustafa Kemâl Atatürk.

John F. Kennedy, Former President of the United States of America

The name of Atatürk reminds people of the historical successes of one of the great individuals of this century, the leadership that gave inspiration to the Turkish nation, farsightedness in the understanding of the modern world and courage and power as a military leader. It is without a doubt that another example can’t be shown indicating greater successes than the birth of the Turkish Republic and ever since then Atatürk’s and Turkey’s broad and deep reforms undertaken as well as the confidence of a nation in itself.

General Douglas MacArthur, Former United States Commander-in-Chief of the Far East Forces

He was a military-statesman, one of the greatest leaders of our era. He ensured that Turkey got its rightful place among the most advanced nations. Also, he gave the feeling of support and self-confidence to the Turks that form the foundation stone of a nation’s greatness. I take great pride in being one of Atatürk’s loyal friends.

Ernest Hemingway, American Journalist, Novelist and Nobel Laureate

The West and the East came face to face at the second class coastal town of Mudanya on a crooked road covered with dust on the hot Marmara coast. Despite the English flag ship “Iron-Duke’s” ash-colored deathly turrets that transported the Allied generals for negotiations with İsmet Pasha, the Westerners had come here to beg for peace, not to ask for peace or to dictate the conditions… These negotiations demonstrate the end of Europe’s dominance over Asia, because as everyone knows, Mustafa Kemâl got rid of all the Greeks.

Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Atatürk’s death is not only a loss for the country, but for Europe is the greatest loss, he who saved Turkey in the war and who revived a new the Turkish nation after the war. The sincere tears shed after him by all classes of people is nothing other than an appropriate manifestation to this great hero and modern Turkey’s Ata.

Türk Amerikan Toplumunun Değerli Üyeleri,

Hoşgörü, dayanışma, paylaşma ve kardeşlik duygularının her zamankinden daha yoğun yaşandığı Ramazan ayının ardından Bayram’a ulaşmanın sevinçini paylaşiyoruz.

Bu duygularla, Ramazan Bayramınızı en iyi dileklerimle kutluyorum.

Bayramlar toplum olarak ortak coşkumuzu paylaştığımız en önemli günlerdir. Bu Bayram’ın Türk Amerikan toplumuna mutluluk, huzur ve sağlık getirmesini, kardeşlik ve dayanışma duygularını pekiştirmesini diliyorum.

Ülkemiz, görkemli târihi, zengin kültürü ve en önemlisi halkımızdan aldığı büyük güçle, içte ve dışta, Cumhuriyetimizin kurucusu Ulu Önder Atatürk’ün belirlediği çağdaş uygarlık çizgisinde emin adımlarla ilerlemektedir. Önümüzdeki hafta Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımız New York’taki Birleşmiş Milletler Genel Kurulu toplantılarına katılmak üzere ABD’ye geleceklerdir. Bölgesinde ve dünyada barış, istikrar ve refâhin tesisinde katkıları aranan Türkiye, bu yılki BM Genel Kurulu toplantılarına Güvenlik Konseyi’nin dönem başkanı sıfatıyla katılmaktadır. Ülkemizin son dönemde BM Güvenlik Konseyi geçici üyeliğinin yanısıra, İslâm Konferansı Teşkilâtı, Avrupa Konseyi Parlamenter Meclisi ve Kimyasal Silahların Önlenmesi Örgütü Başkanlıkları ile NATO Genel Sekreter Yardımcılığı gibi önemli görevleri üstlenmesi, katettiğimiz mesâfenin ve bu başarı tablosunun somut yansımalarıdır.

ABD’deki Türk toplumunun, gerek ülkemizin tanıtımı gerek davalarımızın anlatılması yönünde sürdüregeldiği çalışmalar memnuniyet vericidir. Derneklerimizin ABD’nin dört bir yanında düzenlediği etkinliklerin başarısı hepimizi mutlu etmektedir. ABD’de toplumumuzun her alanda aktif olması fevkalâde önem taşımaktadır. Bu çerçevede, Bayram’ın ruhuna uygun olarak, ortak ülkümüz zemininde, birlik ve butunluk içinde bir arada hareket etmemizin önemine ılışkın çağrımı yinelemek isterim.

Bu vesileyle hayatlarını ülkemiz ve milletimizin mudafaasına, birlik ve bütünlügüne adayan bütün şehit ve gâzilerimizi de saygıyla anıyorum.

Türk Amerikan Toplumunun Değerli Uyelerinin her birini içtenlikle selâmliyor, sevgi ve saygılarımla iyi bayramlar diliyorum.

Namik Tan
T.C. Vaşington Büyükelçisi

Atatürk had a vision for Turkey and he set about reforming her. His vision of a pro-western, secular and democratic state under the rule of law quickly became reality. President John F. Kennedy said, “The name Atatürk reminds mankind of the historical accomplishments of one of the greatest men of this century. His leadership gave inspiration to the Turkish nation, farsightedness in the understanding of the modern world, and courage and power as a military leader.”

Today we commemorate May 19 as a very significant day in the history of Turkey. On this day a great leader began his journey, a vision became reality. A vision coupled with determination can lay the roots for a great future. We as Turkish-Americans of Michigan must take this example and continue our determined goal of promoting the Turkish heritage and culture in Michigan and the United States.

As Atatürk once said “Victory is for those who can say ‘Victory is mine.’ Success is for those who can begin saying ‘I will succeed’ and say ‘I have succeeded’ in the end.”

Once again happy “19 Mayıs Atatürk’ü Anma, Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı!”

At five past nine on November 10, 1953, Atatürk’s remains were taken from the Ethnographic Museum in a Turkish flag-draped coffin for burial at Anıtkabir.

About Atatürk

Mustafa Kemâl Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic and its first President, stands as a towering figure of the twentieth Century. Among the great leaders of history, few have achieved so much in so short period, transformed the life of a nation as decisively, and given such profound inspiration to the world at large.

Emerging as a military hero at the Dardanelles in 1915, he became the charismatic leader of the Turkish national liberation struggle in 1919. He blazed across the world scene in the early 1920s as a triumphant commander who crushed the invaders of his country.

Following a series of impressive victories against all odds, he led his nation to full independence. He put an end to the antiquated Ottoman dynasty whose tale had lasted more than six centuries – and created the Republic of Turkey in 1923, establishing a new government truly representative of the nation’s will.

As President for 15 years, until his death in 1938, Mustafa Kemâl Atatürk introduced a broad range of swift and sweeping reforms — in the political, social, legal, economic, and cultural spheres — virtually unparalleled in any other country.

His achievements in Turkey are an enduring monument to Atatürk. Emerging nations admire him as a pioneer of national liberation. The world honors his memory as a foremost peacemaker who upheld the principles of humanism and the vision of a united humanity. Tributes have been offered to him through the decades by such world statesmen as Lloyd George, Churchill, Roosevelt, Nehru, de Gaulle, Adenauer, Bourguiba, Nasser, Kennedy and countless others. A White House statement, issued on the occasion of “The Atatürk Centennial” in 1981, pays homage to him as “a great leader in times of war and peace.” It is fitting that there should be high praise for Atatürk, an extraordinary leader of modern times, who said in 1933: “I look to the world with an open heart full of pure feelings and friendship.”

Sources: Wikipedia, Ataturk.com, Kemal Ataturk: Founder of the modern Turkish Republic

It was on April 23, 1920, during the War of Independence, that the Grand National Assembly was inaugurated in Ankara and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk laid down the foundations of a new, independent, secular, and modern Turkish Republic. He also dedicated this day to the children of the country to emphasize that they are the future of the new nation and since then, 23 April National Sovereignty and Children’s Day is celebrated in Turkey as a National Day. The importance of April 23 as a special day of children has also been recognized internationally and UNICEF endorsed this important day as the International Children’s Day.

Every year on this date, children from all around the world come together in Turkey to enjoy Children’s Day celebration and festivities in a hope that these memories of friendly atmosphere will contribute to a future of enhanced brotherhood and peace among nations.

TACAM wishes our children, leaders of future, a happy Children’s Day on April 23rd this year and many more in light of Atatürk’s reforms and modern Turkish Republic.