The Samoan Islands had also experienced political instability and conflict among rival chiefs.
[3] U.S. representatives in the region engaged with local chiefs to persuade them of the benefits of ceding the territory to the U.S.
[6] It was ratified by the United States Congress by the Ratification Act of 1929 officially incorporating Tutuila into what is now American Samoa.
The involvement of foreign powers often led to conflicts and political changes, culminating in the treaties that shaped modern American Samoa.
Initially, the U.S. Navy governed the American Samoa territory until 1951, when authority was transferred to the Department of the Interior.