This section looks at American territories and protectorates in the Victorian era. Many of the articles relate to the Spanish-American war, which began in April 1898. In December 1898, Spain ceded the territories of Puerto Rico (often spelled Porto Rico in Victorian articles), Guam and the Philippines to the US. Cuba became a US protectorate. The articles in this section provide a look at these territories before, during and after the Spanish-American War.

Cuba

Cuba's Struggles for Independence, by J.W. Herbert (Demorest, 1896)

Cuba as Seen from the Inside, by Osgood Welsh (Century Magazine, 1898B)

An account of Cuba by an American sugar-grower.

My Ride Across Cuba, by Lt.Col. Andrew Rowan (McClures 1898)

"The story of a secret mission to the Cuban leaders."

The Sanitary Regeneration of Havana, by George M. Sternberg, MD, LLD (Century Magazine, 1898B)

The Territory With Which We Are Threatened, by the Hon. Whitelaw Reid (Century Magazine, 1898B)

The Philippines

Facts About the Philippines, with a Discussion of Pending Problems, by Frank A. Vanderlip (Century Magazine, 1898B)

Knotty Problems of the Philippines, by Prof. Dean C. Worcester (Century Magazine, 1898B)

Life and Society in Old Manila (Century Magazine, 1898B)

Extracts from the journal of Jonathan S. Jenkins, an American painter of miniatures, written in 1859.

Life in Manila, by Wallace Cumming (Century Magazine, 1898B)

The Malay Pirates of the Philippines, with Observations from Personal Experiences, by Prof. Dean C. Worcester (Century Magazine, 1898B)

A Middy in Manila (Century Magazine, 1898B)

Porto Rico

The Island of Porto Rico, by Frederick A. Ober (Century Magazine, 1898B)

Alone in Porto Rico: A War Correspondent's Adventure, by Edwin Emerson, Jr. (Century Magazine, 1898B)

Samoa

Some Aspects of the Samoan Question, by George H. Bates (Century Magazine, 1889A)

Issues surrounding the US annexation of Samoa, by the US commissioner sent to Samoa in 1886.

Our Relations to Samoa, by George H. Bates (Century Magazine, 1889B)

Written by the commissioner sent to Samoa by the US in 1886.

Samoa: The Isles of the Navigators, by Hervey W. Whitaker (Century Magazine, 1889B)

The "Tuscarora's" Mission to Samoa, by Henry Erben (Century Magazine, 1889B)

On the US annexation of Samoa.