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History of American Samoa
From antiquity to the modern era — the historical eras, key events, and narrative that shaped American Samoa.
Overview
Historical Eras
The major periods of {country}’s history at a glance.
Polynesian Settlement
1000 BCE – 1722
Samoa was settled by Polynesian peoples around 1000 B.C., developing a sophisticated chiefly society organized around the matai system of hereditary and elected chiefs. For nearly three millennia, Samoan culture, language, and social structure evolved in relative isolation, establishing the foundations of fa'asamoa — the Samoan way — that would persist through all subsequent eras.
European Contact
1722 – 1899
Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen made the first recorded European contact with Samoa in 1722, followed by French and British expeditions later in the century. The islands became a focal point of colonial rivalry among Germany, Britain, and the United States, who competed for influence and trading rights, culminating in the Berlin Act of 1889 which placed Samoa under tripartite supervision.
Partition & Cession
1899 – 1900
The Tripartite Convention of 1899 resolved colonial tensions by dividing the Samoan archipelago between Germany and the United States, with Britain withdrawing its claims in exchange for concessions elsewhere. By April 17, 1900, the matai of Tutuila and Aunu'u formally ceded their islands to the United States, and in 1904 the Manu'a islands followed, giving the U.S. sovereignty over eastern Samoa and the strategically vital harbor of Pago Pago.
Naval Administration
1900 – 1951
The U.S. Navy administered American Samoa for the first half-century of American rule, operating the territory under naval governors and limiting outside migration to preserve land ownership among Samoans. During World War II, American Samoa served as a significant staging ground for U.S. forces in the Pacific, with a military presence that greatly exceeded the local population and brought lasting economic and social change.
Civilian Governance
1951 – 1978
In 1951 the Department of the Interior replaced the Navy as the governing authority, initiating a period of modernization that included investment in schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. Governor Hyrum Rex Lee, appointed in 1961, was particularly influential in accelerating development programs and expanding access to education and public services, laying groundwork for greater self-governance.
Self-Governance Era
1978 – present
American Samoa elected its first governor, Peter Tali Coleman, in 1978, marking a significant step toward internal self-governance while retaining its status as an unincorporated U.S. territory. Samoans remain U.S. nationals but not citizens by birthright — a unique and contested legal status — and the territory continues to navigate questions of political identity, economic development, and the preservation of traditional fa'asamoa culture in the modern era.
Timeline Preview
The first 7 key events. View the full chronology on the timeline page.
1722
Exploration
Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen is the first European to explore Samoa.
1887
Hawaiian King Kalakaua
Mr. John E. Bush, Hawaiian King Kalakaua’s “Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the King of Samoa,” arrived in Apia with his delegation. Bush drank kava with King Malietoa Laupepa, and presented him with the “Grand Cross of the Order of Oceania.” Both parties bound themselves “to enter into a political confederation,” subject to existing treaty obligations. The “convention” was signed on February 17, 1887.
1899
Annex
Germany annexes Western Samoa (now called the Independent State of Samoa, or just Samoa), the US takes over eastern Samoa (American Samoa) and Britain withdraws its claim to the islands in accordance with treaty between Germany, Britain and the US.
1914
New Zealand occupies Western Samoa
New Zealand occupies Western Samoa during World War I and continues to administer it after the war by virtue of a League of Nations mandate (and a United Nations mandate after World War II).
1926
Devastated by a hurricane
American Samoa was devastated by a hurricane. Olosega, in the Manua Islands, suffered the most. The Navy Department gave the Territory 50 tons of rice, 10 tons of salmon and 15 tons of biscuits.
1939 – 1945
US troops stationed
US troops stationed in Western Samoa during World War II, but no battles are fought on the islands.
1962
Independence
Western Samoa becomes independent, the first Pacific island nation to do so.