HISTORY
Magellan, the first European
to visit Micronesia, landed on Guam in 1521. Spain held the island
for the next 300 years. The Treaty of Paris, at the end of the
Spanish-American war in 1898, made Guam a U.S. possession. Administration
of the island was assigned to the U.S. Navy, and it became primarily
a coaling station and later a naval base in the western Pacific.
The island fell to the Japanese
military forces shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was
a Japanese military installation until the U.S. took possession
on July 21, 1944 (Liberation Day) during World War II. From 1945
until 1950, Guam continued under Navy jurisdiction when President
Truman signed the Organic Act, making Guam a U.S. Territory. A
civil governor was appointed in 1950 and military jurisdiction
ended.
In 1962 the United Nations
officially gave the U.S. the mandate to govern the islands as
a trust territory. The first governor and lieutenant governor
were elected by the people of Guam in 1970. Today Guam has a unicameral
legislature elected by the people. United States currency is used,
and U.S. citizens do not require a passport.
As
a U.S. Territory since 1898, Guam's predominant language is English
and the currency, postal services, and most banking facilities
are an extension of United States services. And, while the local
people are United States citizens and becoming more Americanized
in their lifestyle, they still proudly retain many of the old
island and Spanish traditions which reflect three centuries of
Spanish rule in the area.
