This includes the direct annexation of territories, the exert of control over smaller nations through military and financial leverage, and the strategic establishment of military bases that function as modern extensions of sovereignty. Overseas Territories and Imperial Ventures Beyond the mainland, the United States engaged in distinct colonial activities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Countries Colonized by the US: Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam
The Philippines was also ceded to the United States, though it became a commonwealth before eventually gaining full independence. Through a series of treaties, wars, and forced removals such as the Trail of Tears, these indigenous peoples lost their sovereign control over their ancestral territories, which were then organized into states.
Additionally, the US purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917, further solidifying its presence in the Caribbean. Subsequent conflicts, such as the Mexican-American War, resulted in the US acquiring the Southwest, including present-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, further consolidating continental dominance through territorial acquisition.
Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam: Colonized by the US
Following the Spanish-American War in 1898, the US emerged as a global imperial power by acquiring several overseas territories. Territory Origin Current Status Puerto Rico Spain (1898) Unincorporated Territory Guam Spain (1898) Unincorporated Territory Philippines Spain (1898) Independent (1946) Virgin Islands Denmark (1917) Unincorporated Territory.
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