McConnell’s historical maps of the United States – Louisiana Purchase 1919, part of the Library of Congress collection
Florida
In 1819, Spain gave East Florida to the United States. Although they received no compensation, according to the State Department, the United States agreed to assume liability for $5 million in damage done by American citizens who rebelled against Spain.
Texas
During his tenure, U.S. President James K. Polk oversaw the most significant territorial expansion of the United States following the Louisiana Purchase.
Following Texas’ successful war of independence against Mexico in 1836, Polk annexed Texas in 1845, and by 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico, resulting in the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.
Under the treaty’s terms in 1848, Mexico gave up approximately 525,000 square miles (55% of its prewar territory) in exchange for a $15 million lump sum payment.
McConnell’s historical maps of the United States, Acquistion of Territory, 1919. Library of Congress collection
The Gadsden Purchase
The U.S. made the Gadsden Purchase in 1853 to acquire a nearly 30,000 square-mile region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico in a treaty signed by the American ambassador to Mexico, James Gadsden. The purchase was the last major territorial acquisition in the contiguous United States, according to the National Archives.
Alaska
The U.S. purchased Alaska, a territory from Russia, in 1867 for 586,412 square miles of territory for $12 per square mile, less than two cents an acre, for a total of $7.2 million. Alaska didn’t gain statehood until 1959, becoming the 49th state in the Union.
Spanish-American War purchase
The United States acquired Guam and Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War in 1898, where the U.S. victory forced Spain to give up control of these territories through the Treaty of Paris; this treaty also granted the U.S. control of the Philippines, but the nation would later gain full independence in 1946.
Hawaii
The Spanish-American War increased the strategic value of Hawaii as a base for military operations in the Philippines, which led to its annexation in 1898. Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1900, and in 1959, it became the 50th state in which 90% of the islanders supported statehood.
American Samoa
The matai (local chiefs) of Tutuila, the largest island in American Samoa, gave the island to the United States in 1900. Manu’a followed in 1904 and Swain Island joined the territory in 1925 by an act of the Congress. Authority was transferred to the Department of the Interior (DOI) in 1956.
Virgin Islands
Beginning in 1867, the United States made several attempts to expand its influence into the Caribbean and asked Denmark if they were willing to sell the Danish West Indies, according to the State Department. Unlike Greenland, the Danes were willing to sell the islands to the U.S. for $25 million in the 1917 Treaty. After the transfer, the U.S. government changed the name of the territory to the Virgin Islands of the United States.
Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.
Victor Hagan is the Alabama Election Reporting Fellow for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X @TheVictorHagan. To support his work, subscribe to the Advertiser.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump won’t get Greenland, but the U.S. has bought these territories
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