The United States acquired the Philippines because of its strategic location. It was acquired during the Philippine-American war. Many of the people were not happy.
69 years.
To establish a naval base
Why would we want to take control of hawaii when its already one of the 50 states???
Snakes are not indigenous to Hawaii, therefore there are no natural predators to keep population(s) in check. Without this vital step in the food chain, the snake population would grow uncontrollably. Snakes are predators, also. Uncontrolled population growth would result in the decimation, if not extinction of local species. Search "brown tree snake Guam" and "python everglades" to see the effect of the introduction of non native snakes into ecosystems with no natural population control.
The islands would increase the U.S. presence in the Pacific.
So you want to know about Jose Rizal. Well his help to the Philippines was that he used his poems and sent them to the Spanyards. This was when the Spanyards had taken control of the Philippines.
During World War II, Japan controlled the Northern Marianas including Guam, Cambodia, Korea, Laos, Vietnam, and part of China. They wanted to control them-and they did.
If you want to meet in a place that is fun and is roughly half way, then try Europe, Japan or Rio. Look at a World map an you'll see what I mean.
The U.S. wanted Guam so that we could gain more land and power. It was also a very strategic location for the refueling of coal powered ships. To establish a naval base. Guam was a stepping stone in defeating the Japanese Empire in World War 2.
The Philippines was a strong base for US military power and had to be controlled by Japan if they were going to expand in east Asia without US interference.
because
The islands would increase the U.S. presence in the Pacific Apex cuntry