Every Land the U.S. 🇺🇸Has Ever Controlled 🌍🦅
1️⃣ The Original 13 Colonies (1776–1783)
The U.S. began with the Thirteen Colonies on the Atlantic coast
2️⃣ The Big Continental Expansions (1783–1853)
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
• Bought from France for $15 million (about $400 billion today).
• Doubled the U.S. land area overnight.
• Included parts of 15 modern states — from Louisiana up to Montana.
Florida (1819)
• Spain ceded Florida through the Adams–Onís Treaty.
• Ended decades of border disputes and raids.
Texas (1845)
• Was an independent republic for nine years after breaking from Mexico.
• Annexation led directly to the Mexican–American War (1846–1848).
Oregon Country (1846)
• Jointly occupied by Britain and the U.S. until the Oregon Treaty set the border at the 49th parallel.
• Included what’s now Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of British Columbia.
Mexican Cession (1848)
• Won through war and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
• Added California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
Gadsden Purchase (1853)
• U.S. bought a small slice of southern Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico to build railroads
3️⃣ The Northern Edge (1800s–1900s)
Alaska (1867)
• Bought from Russia for $7.2 million.
• Called “Seward’s Folly” at the time — turned out to be rich in gold, oil, and strategic value.
Canada (Disputed Claims)
• The U.S. once pushed to claim land up to the 54°40′ line (“Fifty-four Forty or Fight!”).
• American troops even invaded southern Ontario and Quebec in the War of 1812.
• Britain and the U.S. settled it peacefully — Canada stayed intact.
4️⃣ The Pacific Empire (1898–1950s)
Hawaii (Annexed 1898, Statehood 1959)
• U.S. businessmen overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893.
• Annexed five years later.
Philippines (1898–1946)
• Taken from Spain after the Spanish–American War.
• Fought a brutal Philippine–American War for control.
• Gained independence in 1946.
Guam (1898–Present)
• Captured from Spain.
• Still a U.S. territory today.
American Samoa (1900–Present)
• Acquired by treaty and divided with Britain and Germany.
• Still U.S.-administered, but not fully incorporated.
Midway, Wake, Johnston, and Palmyra Islands (1899–1912)
• Claimed for naval bases and refueling stations.
• Some remain under U.S. jurisdiction.
5️⃣ The Caribbean & Latin Influence (1898–1999)
Puerto Rico (1898–Present)
• Seized from Spain.
• Still a U.S. territory — residents are citizens but can’t vote for president.
Cuba (1898–1902, 1906–1909, 1917–1922)
• The U.S. occupied Cuba multiple times.
• Kept Guantánamo Bay permanently under lease.
Panama (Canal Zone, 1903–1999)
• The U.S. helped Panama break away from Colombia to build the Panama Canal.
• Controlled the Canal Zone for nearly 100 years.
Haiti (1915–1934)
• Occupied to protect U.S. business interests and suppress revolts.
Dominican Republic (1916–1924, 1965)
• Twice occupied by U.S. Marines to stabilize politics.
Nicaragua (1912–1933)
• Longest Marine occupation in Latin America.
• Sparked anti-U.S. guerrilla movements.
6️⃣ Pacific & Polar Claims (1940s–Today)
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (1947–1994)
• After WWII, the U.S. administered Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands under a U.N. mandate.
• All became independent but remain in “free association” with the U.S. — America still defends them militarily.
Antarctica (since 1959)
• U.S. doesn’t claim territory but maintains major research bases and influence in the Antarctic Treaty System.
7️⃣ Current U.S. Territories (2025)
🌴 Caribbean & Pacific:
• Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
• Guam 🇬🇺
• American Samoa 🇦🇸
• U.S. Virgin Islands 🇻🇮
• Northern Mariana Islands 🇲🇵
These were places Americans seriously tried to annex but failed:
• Cuba (multiple attempts)
• Dominican Republic (annexation proposed in 1869 by President Grant)
• Greenland (the U.S. tried to buy it from Denmark in 1946 and again in 2019)
• Iceland (discussed after WWII)
• Mexico’s Baja California (targeted by filibusters in the 1850s)
• Liberia (founded by freed U.S. slaves in 1822; later independent)
