U.S colonial possessionsCHEPKOVA ANNA

The United States has from time to time in its history had several territories under its control in the same fashion as a colonial possession.

Imperialism The United States emerged as a world economic and military power after 1890. The main episode was the Spanish–American War, which began when Spain refused American demands to reform its oppressive policies in Cuba. The "splendid little war", as one official called it, involved a series of quick American victories on land and at sea. At the Treaty of Paris peace conference the United States acquired the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

Cuba (1899-1902)

After the Spanish-American War, Spain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris (1898), by which Spain ceded Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam to the United States for the sum of $20 million. Cuba gained formal independence from the U.S. on May 20, 1902, as the Republic of Cuba. Under Cuba's new constitution, the U.S. retained the right to intervene in Cuban affairs and to supervise its finances and foreign relations. Under the Platt Amendment, the U.S. leased the Guantánamo Bay naval base from Cuba.

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Puerto Rico (1898–present) Puerto Rico – By far the largest US territory, Puerto Rico has more people than every other territory combined. It is also physically the closest territory to the United States mainland. If it were a state, it would be the 29th largest state in terms of population and it is larger in area than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware. It is also the only US territory that does not have English as its primary language. It became a territory of the US as part of the 1898 Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War.

The United States and Puerto Rico began a long-standing metropolis-colony relationship. In the early 20th century, Puerto Rico was ruled by the military, with officials including the governor appointed by the President of the United States. The Foraker Act of 1900 gave Puerto Rico a certain amount of civilian popular government, including a popularly elected House of Representatives.

Guam (1898–present) In Guam, settlement by foreign ethnic groups was small at first. After World War II showed the strategic value of the island, construction of a huge military base began along with a large influx of people from other parts of the world.

During World War II, Guam was attacked and invaded by the Empire of Japan on December 8, 1941 shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The United States returned and fought the Battle of Guam from July 21 to August 10, 1944, to recapture the island from Japanese military occupation. More than 18,000 Japanese were killed as only 485 surrendered. Sergeant Shoichi Yokoi, who surrendered in January 1972, appears to have been the last confirmed Japanese holdout in Guam. The United States also captured and occupied the Northern Marianas.

Philippines (1898–1946) The islands were ceded by Spain to the United States as a result of the latter's victory in the Spanish-American War. As it became increasingly clear the United States would not recognize the nascent First Philippine Republic, the Philippine–American War broke out, the First Republic was defeated, and the archipelago was administered under an Insular Government.

The Americans then suppressed the sub-states the First Republic had fractured into: mainly, the waning Sultanate of Sulu, as well as the insurgent Tagalog Republic, the Cantonal Republic of Negros, in the Visayas, and the Republic of Zamboanga, in Mindanao.

In 1935, the Philippines was granted Commonwealth status with Manuel Quezon as president. He designated a national language and introduced women's suffrage and land reform. Plans for independence over the next decade were interrupted by World War II when the Japanese Empire invaded and the Second Philippine Republic of José P. Laurel was established as a collaborator state.

Haiti (1915-1934) In January 1914, British, German and U.S. military forces entered Haiti, ostensibly to protect their citizens from civil unrest at the time. In an expression of the Theodore Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, the United States occupied the island in 1915. U.S. Marines were stationed in the country until 1934, a period of twenty years.

Sisal was introduced to Haiti, and sugar and cotton became significant exports. Haitian traditionalists, based in rural areas, were highly resistant to American-backed changes, while the urban elites wanted more control. Together they helped secure an end to the occupation in 1934. The debts were still outstanding and the American financial advisor-general receiver handled the budget until 1941.

United States Virgin Islands (1916-present)

Unlike Puerto Rico or Guam, the United States didn’t acquire USVI by conquest. It was purchased from Denmark in 1916 via the Treaty of the Danish West Indies for $25,000,000 in gold. The islands were sold prior to the US entry into WWI as to not violate Danish neutrality.

The US Virgin Islands lies only 40 miles east of Puerto Rico and is approximately double the size of the District of Columbia.

The Virgin Islands group is divided between the United States and the United Kingdom who control the British Virgin Islands as a territory.

Northern Mariana Islands (1975–present)

The Commonwealth of the Northern Marinas Islands (CNMI) is the newest territory of the United States. Although culturally and geographically similar to Guam, the islands have had a very different history especially in the 20th Century.

The islands were, like Guam, part of the Spanish Empire. After the Spanish-American war, the islands were ceded to Germany, not the United States. In WWI, Japan declared war on Germany and used it as a pretext to invade and take over the islands.

The islands were put under US management after WWII by the United Nations as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI), along with what today are Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands.

American Samoa (1899–present) In the late 19th Century, a civil war in Samoa almost lead to the United States and Germany to go to war. Each nation backed opposite sides in the war in hopes of gaining position to use the islands for whaling and as a coaling station. The Tripartite Convention of 1899 divided the Samoan Islands between the western islands (German) and the eastern islands (American).

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (1947–1994)

In 1947 the United Nations created Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) from former Japanese possessions giving to them by a League of Nations Mandate. The TTPI existed form 1947 to 1986 when the constituant islands began to seek independence. The above mentioned Northern Marinas Islands is the only part of the TTPI which is still a US territory.

Marshall Islands (1944–1986)(1986-present as a associated state)The Marshall Islands are best known as the location of many atomic bomb tests in the 40’s and 50’s on places like Bikini and Enewetak Atolls.The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) was declared in 1979 and the country entered a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1986. The compact is a unique agreement that the United States has with the former TTPI countries where they access to many programs which are normally reserved for US citizens.

Federated States of Micronesia (1947–1986)(1986-present as a associated state)

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) consists of four island groups: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. Like the Marshall Islands, the FSM declared independence in 1979 and signed a compact of Free Association with the US in 1986. The FSM compact of free association also gives Micronesians access to US services and aid.

Palau (1947–1994)(1994-present as a associated state)

By population and area, Palau is the smallest of the former TTPI countries. With a population of only 20,000 people and area of 459 km2 it is one of the smallest countries in the world.

Palau declared independence in 1981 and signed their compact of free association with the US in 1994.

Resources 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._colonial_possessions#South_America

2. http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsAmericas/CentralCuba.htm

3. http://www.worldstatesmen.org/COLONIES.html

4. http://everything-everywhere.com/2013/06/27/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-territories-of-the-united-states/