During the late 1800's and early 1900's the United States started to expand their territory and build their relationships to benefit the United States. As a result of imperialism, the US controlled more territory, but 3 specific areas are Panama, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The US was motivated to control Panama because it allows the US to protect both of our coasts, and it allows us to ship goods between the Atlantic and Pacific quickly and cheaply. We wanted to control Cuba because it's close to the US so it's easier to trade, and in Cuba, we could have sugar and tabacco plantations, and for military reasons. We wanted to control Puerto Rico because after the Spanish American war, Spain had Cuba and Puerto Rico, so we took control of the land.
