well, there were the possessions we took from Spain after the Spanish-American War - we owned the Philippines until after WWII, ruled Cuba for 20 yrs before allowing Cuba independence, still rule Puerto Rico, Guam, and The Caroline Islands, we had special concessions and treaty ports in China much like the other foreign powers in China from the 19th century onto WWII ..., all these were under direct USA's rule until their respective independence and / or restoration to the soverign power / or legally *normalized" as *special* US territories such as PR and Guam are today.
Compared to Imperial China and the rest, America is benign as an oppresser
Really?.. seems to me that they enjoy protection while serving little or none
From the Spanish-American archives in the Library of Congress.
“Soldiers of The American army:
We ‘would not be fulfilling our duty as well-born men in whose breasts there live gratitude and courtesy should we embark for our beloved Spain without sending to you our most cordial and sincere good wishes and farewell.
We fought you with ardor, with all our strength, endeavoring to gain the victory, but without the slightest rancor or hate toward the American nation.
We have been vanquished by you (so our generals and chiefs judged in signing the capitulation), but our surrender and the bloody battle preceding it have left in our souls no place for resentment against the men who fought us nobly and valiantly.
You fought and acted in compliance with the same call of duty as we, for we all represent the power of our respective States.
You fought us as men face to face and with great courage, as before stated, a quality which we had not met with during the three years we have carried on this war against a people without religion, without morals, without conscience and of doubtful origin, who could not confront the enemy, but, bidden, shot their noble victims from ambush and then immediately fled.
This was the kind of warfare we had to sustain in this unfortunate land.
You have complied exactly with all the laws and usages of war as recognized by the armies of the most civilized nations of the world; have given honorable burial to the dead of the vanquished; have cured their wounded with great humanity; have respected and cared for your prisoners and their comfort; and, lastly, to us, whose condition was terrible, you have, given freely of food, of your stock of medicines, and you have honored us with distinction and courtesy, for after the fighting the two armies mingled with the utmost harmony.
With the high sentiment of appreciation from us all, there remains but to express our farewell, and with the greatest sincerity we wish you all happiness and health in this land, which will no longer belong to our, dear Spain but will be yours, who have conquered it by force and watered it with your blood as your conscience called for, under the demand of civilization and humanity.
From 11,000 Spanish soldiers
Pedro Lopez de Castillo, Soldier of Infantry
Santiago de Cuba, August 21, 1898.”
From the same Library of Congress archives.
“The Teller and Platt Amendments”
“In April 1898 Senator Henry M. Teller (Colorado) proposed an amendment to the U.S. declaration of war against Spain which proclaimed that the United States would not establish permanent control over Cuba.
It stated that the United States “hereby disclaims any disposition of intention to exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction, or control over said island except for pacification thereof, and asserts its determination, when that is accomplished, to leave the government and control of the island to its people.”
The Senate passed the amendment on April 19. True to the letter of the Teller Amendment, after Spanish troops left the island in 1898, the United States occupied Cuba until 1902.”
You forgot Hawaii probably our low point in colonization.