Azores archipelago

 In the Azores archipelago, there was a movement to secede from Portugal and join the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Feeling that they were being unfairly exploited by the authorities on the mainland, the movement believed that the best solution was to entrust them with ruling the United States. This movement was fueled by large numbers of immigrants to the United States, especially to New England states, for labor and educational reasons. Also, close social ties between the Azores and the United States have been established by American whaling companies. Based in New England and New York, whalers often used the Azores as a base for overseas operations and hired large numbers of the local population to man the ships. The movement to annex the Azores to the United States came to a head during World War I, when the United States Navy established a base for operations in the Azores. Feeling that the Americans were doing more to defend the Azores from the Germans than the Portuguese government, especially during the 1917 SM U-155 raid on the Azores, many local politicians openly demanded change. However, American naval officers and politicians, especially Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt, rejected any idea that the United States was taking control.