The aim of this paper is to analyze the educational views of Young Turks and the “prototype Ottoman” that they aimed to create, through a survey of Tedrisât-? ?btidâiye Mecmuas? (Journal of Primary School Education), which was the official publication of the Teachers’ College and the Ministry of Education. Its purpose was to inform the Ottoman teachers about the modern child-centered pedagogical methods of inculcating the students according to the requirements of the time. The nineteenth and early twentieth century Ottoman society experienced a long period of modernization, in which traditional social values started to change. The emergence of “child” as an important constructive social agent was a result of a quest for social change as well. Children were perceived as the future of the society, and their education and indoctrination became one of the most important issues of Ottoman modernization. The educational reforms of this period can also be explained with the state’s efforts to defend itself during a period of rising ethnic nationalisms. The state aimed to unite all ethnic and religious communities under the flag of “Ottomanism”, and to create a “prototype Ottoman”, during the Young Turk Era. In order to secure the future of the Constitutional regime, the political elite targeted to inculcate the new generations with the revolutionary ideals of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Justice”. The founder and editor of Journal of Primary School Education, Sât? al-Husri worked as the Director of Education in the Balkan provinces of the Ottoman Empire prior to being transferred to the Teachers’ College in Istanbul. He taught in Manast?r, which was a center of activity for Greek and Bulgarian rebel bands. It was his first encounter with nationalism, and he was highly influenced by the patriotic inculcation and emphasis on linguistic education in the schools of Manast?r. His experiences constituted a basis for the pedagogical methods he developed. Journal of Primary School Education includes articles which aim at introducing the modern pedagogical methods to teachers, as well as sample lessons, short stories, and games. The sample lessons include intense political inculcation against the Hamidian regime. The importance of being an Ottoman citizen, and the rights and duties of the citizens were explained in detail. An analytical reading of this journal in its historical and social context gives important clues about the official state ideology and the ideal “prototype Ottoman” of the Young Turk Era.