American Samoa: A Historical Timeline
Prior to 1700 Early Exploration and Settlement 1000 BCE The Samoan islands are inhabited by this time. The Polynesians who first colonize Samoa likely come from the East Indies, Malay Peninsula, or Philippines. The Manu'a Islands of American Samoa are one of the earliest inhabited regions of Polynesia. 950 CE The Tu'I Tonga empire forms after Tonga is able to free itself through the imperial domination of the Tu'I Manu'a, who rules most of the Pacific islands. After Tonga is freed from Samoan influence, the Tongans fight to rule over Samoa. 1250 The Tongan Wars are waged between Tonga and the Samoan islands. The Tongan stranglehold on the Samoan islands of Upolu, Tuituila, and Savai'I occurs for roughly the next 250 years. This period is noted for being a time of warfare and political rivalries. 1600 Led by the three Samoan brothers, the Samoans successfully expel the Tongans from their land. Upon his departure, the Tongan king delivers the line "Malie toa, malie tau," ("great warriors, well fought"). "Malietoa" is subsequently used as a chiefly title in Samoa. 1606 Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queiros is the first European explorer to discover Swains Island, the most northwesterly island of American Samoa. He names it Isla de la Gente Hermosa, which means "Island of the Beautiful People" in Spanish. 1700–1900 EUROPEAN EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENT 1722 Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen becomes the first European to discover the Manu'a Islands and Samoa. 1768 French captain Louis-Antoine de Bougainville visits the islands on his expedition of circumnavigation. He names Samoa "The Navigator's Islands." 1770s Traveling along the spice route between Europe and Asia, trading ships begin to stop in Samoa on a regular basis. 1787 The French La Perouse expedition visits Tutuila and Upolu. Captain Paul Antoine Fleuriot de Langle goes ashore at Au, on the north shore of Tutuila, with four boats in search water. Natives eventually surround the party and kill de Langle with a stone to the head. The captain dies, and his men open fire. In the ensuing battle, 12 Frenchmen are killed and 20 injured, while the natives are massacred. The French government erects a monument to their memory in Asu in 1883. 1830 John Williams arrives with the London Missionary Society. The local population generally embraces the missionaries. Within 40 years of the missionaries' arrival in Samoa, Samoans were sending their own missionaries to Melanesia. Today, the vast majority of Samoans are Christians. 1839 Navy Lieutenant Charles Wilkes and the U.S. Exploring Expedition lands on Tutuila. The naturalists, botanists, mineralogists, horticulturalists, and interpreters of the expedition explore the islands, and their subsequent discoveries contribute greatly to the scientific community.  1846 The first Catholic priests arrive and settle on Savaii, the largest island in Samoa. 1848–73 Armed by western merchants, local indigenous groups fight the Wars for Supremacy for control over the islands. 1857 Trading company J.C. Godeffroy and Son opens a depot in Apia, which results in Samoa becoming the most popular trading post in the Pacific at the time. 1872 In exchange for military protection, the high chief of the tribes of the eastern Samoan islands gives the U.S. permission to establish a naval base. The U.S. opens the base at Pago-Pago. 1873 The U.S. State Department sends Colonel A.B. Steinberger to Samoa as a special agent to report on conditions in the islands. Steinberger drafts a constitution and bill of rights for the islands and sets up a government, which he ultimately seizes control of, becoming Samoa's premier. He severs ties with the US government and begins negotiations with Germany regarding taxes, land claims and administration of financial interests in the Samoas. In 1876, the British deport Steinberger for having seized power in Samoa. 1876 British and American consuls have Steinberger deported to Fiji. As a result, Samoan self-government collapses, leaving warring political factions in its wake. A delegation of Samoans seeks protection from the UK, the U.S., and Germany but all refuse to come to Samoa's aid. 1879 (January 21) A treaty is reached between Germany and Samoa, under which Samoa gives Germany the right to establish a naval station in the harbor of Saluafata. All previous flags are abolished and a new one adopted to show the unity of Samoa. 1884 (November 5) Samoa petitions the Queen of England to make Samoa an English colony or to connect it with the Government of New Zealand. The petition is refused. German troops land in Samoa. 1889 In March, a German naval force invades a Samoan village, destroying some American property. Three American warships subsequently enter the Samoan harbor, adjacent to the three German warships already there. Before an attack is waged, a typhoon wrecks both the American and German ships. A compulsory armistice is called. Under the Treaty of Berlin, Britain, Germany, and the United States agree to recognize the Kingdom of Samoa. The three countries later cancel the treaty to be able to intervene in the factional fighting over the Samoan throne, which threatens to break out in civil war. 1898 The Second Samoan Civil War reaches a head when Germany, Britain, and the U.S. lock horns in dispute over who should have control over the island chain. At the war's conclusion, the U.S. is granted the eastern section of the islands, the Germans are granted the western section of the islands, and the British are given other Pacific island chains formerly belonging to Germany. 1900–1929 AMERICAN SAMOA 1900 (April 17) Samoan chiefs cede Tuituila and Aunu'u to the U.S. The U.S. formally occupies the area later known as American Samoa and places it under the control of the U.S. Naval Administration. 1901 In the first of the Insular Cases, the U.S. Supreme Court addresses the applicability of the U.S. Constitution in the areas acquired as a result of the Spanish-American War. The Insular Cases establish that only "fundamental" constitutional rights are enjoyed by inhabitants of U.S. territories that are not "incorporated" in the U.S. 1904 The eastern Samoan islands become territories of the United States. At this time, the western islands become known as Western Samoa (later the Independent State of Samoa), passing from German control to New Zealand in 1914. Western Samoa becomes independent in 1962, the first Pacific Island country to gain independence. 1909 (July 2) Tuimanu'a Elisara, the last Tui Manu'a (sovereign) of Manu'a dies. At his request, the title dies with him. 1918 Western Samoa is plagued by the world epidemic of the pneumonic influenza, from which more than a fifth of the population dies. American Samoa escapes entirely, owing to a strict quarantine. 1920 The Samoan Council of Chiefs is organized in opposition to the Naval administration. This opposition starts outside of American Samoa, namely in California and Western Samoa. It does not find much support among the people on Tutuila, and fades away 10 years after its inception. 1925 (March 4) The U.S. officially annexes Swains Island and it becomes part of American Samoa. 1938 The Fair Labor Standards Act is passed. It contains special provisions for American Samoa, citing its limited economy. American Samoan wages are based on the recommendations of a Special Industry Committee meeting bi-annually. 1940 The Port of Pago Pago becomes a training and staging area for the U.S. Marine Corps. American Samoans enlist in the Marine Corps, establishing a home guard unit. In 1945, the Marines leave the island territory. 1950–PRESENT MODERN AMERICAN SAMOA 1951 The U.S. Department of the Interior is given administration over the territory of American Samoa. A Senate and House of Representatives are established for the first time in the islands' history. 1952 American Samoans begin to relocate to Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. Today, over 250,000 Samoans live on the mainland, compared to 65,000 living on the Samoan islands. 1953 Van Camp and Starkist build fish canneries, becoming major employers. Today, canned tuna is the primary export of American Samoa, earning $300 million in revenue annually and providing employment for nearly half the Samoan workforce. 1956 The first indigenous Samoan governor, Peter Tali Coleman, is appointed. 1959–75 During the Vietnam War, American Samoa loses more men per capita than another other American community. 1962 Western Samoa becomes independent, later changing its name to Samoa in 1997. The name change causes tension with American Samoa. 1967 (July 1) The American Samoa Constitution becomes effective and the territory becomes self-governing. 1970 The island of Tutuila begins to face problems such as overfishing, waste issues, sedimentation from land erosion onto coral reefs, and a limited supply of drinking water. 1980 In contrast to most places in the world, the population of the Manu'a Islands is decreasing steadily. In the 1930s, 20 percent of the population of American Samoa lived on the Manu'a Islands, but by 1980 only 6 percent are located there. 1988 (October 31) The National Park of American Samoa is established by entering into a 50-year lease for the parkland from Samoan village councils. The park is distributed across three separate islands and includes coral reefs and rain forest. 1991 (December 6) Cyclone Val becomes one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the South Pacific. Winds up to 160 miles per hour pummel Samoa, battering the islands for 5 days. The cyclone defoliates 90 percent of the islands' vegetation and causes $380 million worth of damage. 2005 (February 15) American Samoa is declared a major disaster after Hurricane Olaf hits with wind speeds of up to 190mph. 2007 The Fair Minimum Wage Act is passed. It increases the minimum wage in American Samoa by $0.50 per hour in 2007 and another $0.50 per hour each year thereafter until it equals that of the 50 U.S. states. 2009 (September 29) A magnitude 8.0 earthquake strikes about 120 miles south of the islands. Four tsunami waves 15-20 feet high batter the islands, reaching up to a mile inland. At least 150 people are killed in both American Samoa and Independent Samoa, and hundreds more are injured.
	Click to enlarge an image 1250: Tutuila as seen from space 1606: Swains Island 1606: Pedro Fernandes de Queirós 1768: Louis Antoine de Bougainville 1839: Charles Wilkes 1830: John Williams 1879: Saluafata harbor 1889: King Malietoa at the reading of the Berlin Treaty 1898: German Samoa coat of arms 1900: Coat of arms of American Samoa 1909: Tuimanu’a Elisara 1951: United States Department of the Interior seal 1962: Independent State of Samoa Flag 1991: Cyclone Val Storm path 2005: Landslide caused by Olaf 2009 Samoa earthquake regional map