Samoa

By Michael C. Schofield, Jessi Ceva, Mia C. Wiskow

Historyo Dutch ExplorerJacob

Roggeveen first found the Somoan Islands

o In 1831 European influence began

o They introduced Christianity to the people of Somoa

o They are still very religious today

o The United States first claimed Somoa by 1900 but so did Germany

History

o The United states was able to take the islands over and in 1940 set up a training and staging area for the U.S. Marine Corps.

o Samoans liked the new ways shown by the U.S. and enjoyed the modernization of their country.

o Today Samoa is still a United States territory.

o The people are called American Nationals.

U.S. Involvement

• United States influence began in 1872 when the United States, Britain, and Germany fought over the control of the Samoan Islands

• The United States produced a treaty with Britain and Germany in 1899.

• By 1904, Polynesian Chiefs who currently controlled the islands gave up their claims to the powerful United States

• The US Navy imperialized the country by using harbors as fueling stations and positioning United States Navy officers as “presidents” of the islands who would run a military base

• The islands became an important U.S. marines staging area in World War ll

U.S. Involvement Continued• The well-being of the Somoan

people was for the most part neglected by the United States Imperialists although certain missionaries were kind to the natives

• American Somoa today is divided into fourteen counties that are grouped into three administrative districts

• On October 17, 1960, the United States imposed an American constitution on the Somoan Islands that established basic laws for the territory

U.S Motives

• The United States wanted to imperialize the Samoan Islands to serve as a port or fueling station for transporting goods across the pacific ocean to Asia.

• Americans intended to use the islands as a temporary stop for their economic travels. They had no intention to harm the natives or convert their beliefs

Justification

• Because the U.S. did not drastically change the Samoan Islands in comparison to other Imperialist Nations, there was little justification behind their actions

• U.S. officials if asked to justify their actions might say that they felt the need to introduce civilization to Samoa

U.S. Action Comparison• The United State’s actions can be

described as between Superman and Mafia Don because although the Samoan people probably preferred to be left alone, Americans helped them in the long run. Our actions were similar to Superman in that we provided military support ,new technology and skills. On the other hand the actions were like Mafia Don because we could have treated the natives with more respect.

• The ports were necessary for American expansion and were for the most part harmless to the people of Samoa

Final Result

• The Somoan people willingly gave control to the Americans because they agreed to treat them well and introduce new technology and military support

• U.S. actions were very beneficial to Samoa and they compromised with and learned from the Samoans

• Similar to Puerto Rico, the Samoan Islands are also an American territory today.

• The people of American Samoa are considered nationals not citizens although many have become naturalized American citizens

• American Samoa’s economic well-being depends 90% on foreign trade with the United States

Map of Samoa in relation to U.S.