What territories did the U.S. gain?

The United States gained Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines from Spain through the Treaty of Paris signed December 10, 1898 ending the Spanish-American War, while also acquiring Cuba as a protectorate (later granted formal independence in 1902) and separately annexing Hawaii by joint resolution of Congress on July 7, 1898. The Treaty of Paris transferred Spanish sovereignty to the United States in exchange for a payment of 20 million dollars. The territories became American colonies under various legal arrangements.

Puerto Rico, an island in the eastern Caribbean of about 3,500 square miles, had been a Spanish colony since 1493. The United States invaded on July 25, 1898 with little resistance. The Foraker Act of April 12, 1900 established a civil government, and the Jones-Shafroth Act of March 2, 1917 granted U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans, who remain U.S. citizens but cannot vote in presidential elections from the island and have only a non-voting delegate in Congress. Puerto Rico's status as a commonwealth was established in 1952. Several status referenda since the 1960s have produced narrow and changing majorities for various options including statehood, continued commonwealth, and independence.

Guam, a small island in the western Pacific of about 210 square miles, had been a Spanish colony since 1521. American forces took it without serious resistance during the Spanish-American War. The Organic Act of August 1, 1950 granted U.S. citizenship to Guamanians and established a civil government. Guam remains an unincorporated U.S. territory with a non-voting delegate in Congress.

The Philippines, a Pacific archipelago of about 7,100 islands and 120,000 square miles, had been a Spanish colony since 1565. American forces destroyed the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay on May 1, 1898 and captured Manila on August 13. Filipino nationalists led by Emilio Aguinaldo had been fighting Spain since 1896 and expected American support for independence. Instead, the United States annexed the islands. The Philippine-American War from February 4, 1899 to July 4, 1902 cost about 4,200 American and 20,000 Filipino combatant lives, with civilian casualties from war-related disease and famine estimated as high as several hundred thousand. The Tydings-McDuffie Act of March 24, 1934 set up Philippine independence after a 10 year transition. The Philippines became an independent republic on July 4, 1946.

Hawaii had been an independent kingdom until American sugar planters overthrew Queen Liliuokalani on January 17, 1893 with support from U.S. Marines. The Republic of Hawaii applied for annexation, and Congress approved by joint resolution on July 7, 1898 during the Spanish-American War. Hawaii became a territory in 1900 and the 50th state on August 21, 1959.

Cuba was technically not annexed under the Teller Amendment of April 1898, but became a protectorate under the Platt Amendment of 1901 until formal independence in 1934.