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Hawaii
The U.S. first got involved in 1875 when a treaty was signed between the U.S. and Hawaii. It permitted US access to the Hawaiian sugarcane market. ... On July 7th, 1898, the U.S. annexed Hawaii due to war needs. -
Guam
The only reason America annexed Guam and its Chamorro inhabitants all those years ago was because the U.S. was at war with Spain. When the Spanish-American War broke out in April of 1898, Guam was under Spanish control (as it had been since the 1600s). The U.S. was actually more interested in conquering the Spanish Philippines, but it figured it needed to take Guam to secure the larger territory. -
Cuba
US determination to control Cuba, consistent with the Monroe Doctrine, had a strong economic rationale even before Spain was defeated in the War of Independence in 1898.