Final answer:
The United States' humanitarian actions in the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Cuba included providing medical aid, rebuilding infrastructure, and promoting education, but did not include banning foreign trade.
Step-by-step explanation:
The humanitarian efforts mentioned in the question refer to the United States' actions in the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Cuba following the Spanish-American War and the acquisition of these territories. These efforts included providing medical aid, such as building hospitals and introducing vaccinations; rebuilding infrastructure, which encompassed construction of schools, railroads, telegraph lines, as well as the improvement of harbors, roads, and bridges; and promoting education, through the establishment of schools and the teaching of English and American democratic values. However, among the options provided, the one effort that the United States did not engage in was banning foreign trade. In fact, associations provided medical supplies and Filipino businesses profited from trade, indicating that trade was not banned but rather encouraged as part of America's imperial interests.