Unincorporated territories of the United States

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Not to be confused with Unincorporated area.

Under United States Law, an unincorporated territory is an area controlled by

the U.S. federal government that is not "incorporated" for the purposes of United
States constitutional law. In unincorporated territories, the U.S. Constitution applies
only partially. In unincorporated territories, "fundamental rights apply as a matter of
law, but other constitutional rights are not available," raising concerns about how
citizens in these territories can influence politics in the United States.[1] Selected
constitutional provisions apply, depending on congressional acts and judicial rulings
according to U.S. constitutional practice, local tradition, and law. [citation needed] As such,
these territories are often considered colonies of the United States.[2][3]
There are currently 13 unincorporated territories, comprising a land area of
approximately 12,000 square kilometers (4,600 square miles) containing a
population of approximately four million people; Puerto Rico comprises the vast
majority of both the total area and total population. [4]
Of the thirteen territories, five are inhabited. These are either organized or self-
governing[5] but unincorporated. These are American Samoa, Guam, the Northern
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.[6] There are also eight
uninhabited U.S. possessions (see insular area, territories of the United States,
and unorganized territory).[7]

Contents

 1Overview

 2List of unincorporated territories

o 2.1Current

o 2.2Former

 3History

 4See also

 5Notes

 6References

Overview[edit]
All modern inhabited territories under the control of the federal government can be
considered as part of the "United States" for purposes of law as defined in specific
legislation.[8] However, the judicial term "unincorporated" was coined to legitimize the
late-19th-century territorial acquisitions without citizenship and their administration
without constitutional protections temporarily until Congress made other provisions.
The case law allowed Congress to impose discriminatory tax regimes with the effect
of a protective tariff upon territorial regions which were not domestic states. [9]
From 1901 to 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a series of opinions known as
the Insular Cases, held that the Constitution extended ex proprio vigore (i.e., of its
own force) to the continental territories. However, the Court in these cases also
established the doctrine of territorial incorporation, under which the Constitution
applies fully only in incorporated territories such as Alaska and Hawaii, and applies
only partially in the new unincorporated territories of Puerto Rico, Guam and
the Philippines.[10][11]
To define what is an unincorporated territory, in Balzac v. People of Porto
Rico, 258 U.S. 298 (1922), the Court used the following statements regarding
the United States District Court in Puerto Rico:
The United States District Court is not a true United States court established
under article 3 of the Constitution to administer the judicial power of the United
States therein conveyed. It is created by virtue of the sovereign congressional
faculty, granted under article 4, § 3, of that instrument, of making all needful rules
and regulations respecting the territory belonging to the United States. The
resemblance of its jurisdiction to that of true United States courts, in offering an
opportunity to nonresidents of resorting to a tribunal not subject to local influence,
does not change its character as a mere territorial court.[12]
In Glidden Co. v. Zdanok, 370 U.S. 530 (1962) the court cited Balzac and made the
following statement regarding courts in unincorporated territories:
Upon like considerations, Article III has been viewed as inapplicable to courts
created in unincorporated territories outside the mainland, Downes v. Bidwell, 182
U.S. 244, 266–267; Balzac v. Porto Rico, 258 U.S. 298, 312–313; cf. Dorr v. United
States, 195 U.S. 138, 145, 149, and to the consular courts established by
concessions from foreign countries, In re Ross, 140 U.S. 453, 464–465, 480. 18
"The inhabitants of the ceded territory ... shall be admitted to the enjoyment of all the
rights, advantages, and immunities of citizens of the United States;" [13] "This
declaration, although somewhat changed in phraseology, is the equivalent, as
pointed out in Downes v. Bidwell, of the formula, employed from the beginning to
express the purpose to incorporate acquired territory into the United States,
especially in the absence of other provisions showing an intention to the contrary." [13]

List of unincorporated territories[edit]

Current[edit]
See also: Territories of the United States

Area (sq
Territory Population Area (km2) Region
mi)

American Samoa[5] 55,519 197.1 km2 75.1 sq mi Pacific

 Area (sq
Territory Population Area (km2) Region
mi)

Guam 159,358[14] 541.3 km2 209.0 sq mi Pacific

Northern Mariana Islands 53,883 463.63 km2 179.01 sq mi Pacific

Puerto Rico[1] 3,474,182 9,104 km2 3,515 sq mi Caribbean

United States Virgin Islands 109,750 346.36 km2 133.73 sq mi Caribbean

Baker Island Uninhabited 2.1 km2 0.8 sq mi Pacific

Howland Island Uninhabited 1.8 km2 0.7 sq mi Pacific

Jarvis Island Uninhabited 4.5 km2 1.7 sq mi Pacific

Johnston Atoll Uninhabited 2.67 km2 1.03 sq mi Pacific

Kingman Reef Uninhabited 76 km2 29 sq mi Pacific

Midway Atoll (administered as
Uninhabited 6.2 km2 2.4 sq mi Pacific
a National Wildlife Refuge)

Navassa Island (disputed with Haiti) Uninhabited 5.2 km2 2.0 sq mi Caribbean

c. 150 non-
Wake Atoll 7.38 km2 2.85 sq mi Pacific
permanent

Total c. 3,900,000 12,272.24 km2 4,738.34 sq mi

Former[edit]

 Philippines – administered directly by the U.S. government 1898–1901; insular

government 1901–1935; commonwealth 1935–1946; independent since July 4,
1946
 Panama Canal Zone – administered directly by the U.S. government 1903–1979;
jointly administered with Panama 1979–1999; reverted to Panama beginning on
December 31, 1999
 Liberia – a private possession of the American Colonization Society from 1821 to
1847

History[edit]
August 28, 1867
Captain William Reynolds of the USS  Lackawanna formally took possession of
the Midway Atoll for the United States.[15]
August 13, 1898
United States Navy under Admiral George Dewey, United States Army's Eighth Army
Corps under Major General Wesley Merritt, and Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur
Jr. captured the City of Manila from Spain after Governor-General of the
Philippines Fermin Jáudenes surrendered the city, which then remained Spanish-
occupied even after the declaration of Philippine Independence from Spain and the
establishment of the First Philippine Republic on June 12, 1898.
February 4, 1899
Philippine-American War began between the First Philippine Republic and the newly
arrived US Military Government.
April 11, 1899
The Treaty of Paris of 1898 came into effect, transferring Guam, the Philippines,
and Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States, all three becoming unorganized,
unincorporated territories. Puerto Rico's official name was changed to Porto Rico, a
phonetic reinterpretation of the Spanish name for the territory.
April 12, 1900
The Foraker Act organized Puerto Rico.[16]
June 7, 1900
The United States took control of the portion of the Samoan Islands given to it by
the Treaty of Berlin of 1899, creating the unorganized, unincorporated territory
of American Samoa.
April 1, 1901
General Emilio Aguinaldo, President of the First Philippine Republic and Filipino
leader in the Philippine–American War, surrendered to the United States, allowing
the U.S. to form a civilian government for the Philippines.
February 23, 1903
Under the terms of a 1903 lease agreement, the United States came to exercise
complete control over Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, while Cuba retained
ultimate sovereignty over the territory.
August 29, 1916
The Philippine Autonomy Act or Jones Law was signed, promising
the Philippines independence.
March 2, 1917
Jones–Shafroth Act reorganized Puerto Rico. This act conferred United States
citizenship on all citizens of Puerto Rico.
March 31, 1917
The United States purchased the Danish West Indies and renamed it as U.S. Virgin
Islands under the terms of a treaty with Denmark.[17]
May 17, 1932
The name of Porto Rico was changed to Puerto Rico.[18]
March 24, 1934
The Tydings–McDuffie Act was signed allowing the creation of the Commonwealth of
the Philippines.
November 15, 1935
The Commonwealth of the Philippines officially inaugurated Manuel L. Quezon as the
President of the Philippine Commonwealth, held at the steps of the Old Legislative
Building. The event was attended by 300,000 Filipinos.
December 8, 1941
Commonwealth of the Philippines was invaded and occupied by Japan during World
War Two, initiating "the most destructive event ever to take place on U.S. soil".
[19]
 Over 1,100,000 Filipino American civilians died during the war.[19]
February 3 - March 3 1945
The month long Liberation of Manila led by General Douglas MacArthur took place,
and consequently resulted in Manila Massacre committed by the Japanese forces
throughout the Battle of Manila. An estimated 100,000 Manila civilians were killed
during the massacre.
August 1945
The United States regains full control of its colony of the Phillipines following
the Phillipines campaign.[19]
July 4, 1946
The United States formally recognized the Philippine independence, establishing
the Third Philippine Republic and inaugurating Manuel Roxas as the President of the
independent Philippines. The independence ceremonies and inauguration rites were
held at the Quirino Grandstand.
July 14, 1947
The United Nations granted the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands to the United
States, consisting primarily of many islands fought over during World War II, and
including what is now the Marshall Islands, the Carolina Islands, Federated States of
Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau. It was a trusteeship, and not a
territory of the United States.
August 5, 1947
The Privileges and Immunities Clause regarding the rights, privileges, and immunities
of citizens of the United States was expressly extended to Puerto Rico by the U.S.
Congress through federal law codified in Title 48 the United States Code
as 48 U.S.C. § 737 and signed by President Harry S. Truman. This law indicates that
the rights, privileges, and immunities of citizens of the United States shall be
respected in Puerto Rico to the same extent as though Puerto Rico were a State of
the Union and subject to the provisions of paragraph 1 of section 2 of article IV of the
Constitution of the United States.
July 1, 1950
The Guam Organic Act came into effect, organizing Guam as an unincorporated
territory.[20]
 July 25,
1952
Puerto Rico became a Commonwealth of the United States, an unincorporated
organized territory, with the ratification of its constitution.[18]
July
22,
1954
The Organic Act for the United States Virgin Islands went into effect, making them
an unincorporated, organized territory.[20]
J
u
ly
1,
1
9
6
7
American Samoa's constitution became effective. Even though no Organic Act was
passed, this move to self-government made American Samoa similar to an organized
territory.[20]
S
e
pt
e
m
b
er
1
2,
1
9
6
7
Article Three of the United States Constitution, was expressly extended to the United
States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico by the U.S. Congress through the
federal law 89-571, 80 Stat. 764, this law was signed by President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
Janu
ary 1,
1978
The Northern Mariana Islands left the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands to become
a commonwealth of the United States, making it unincorporated and organized.[20][21]
October
21, 1986
The Marshall Islands attained independence from the Trust Territory of the Pacific
Islands, though the trusteeship granted by the United Nations technically did not end
until December 22, 1990. The Marshall Islands remained in free association with the
United States.
November 3,
1986
The Federated States of Micronesia attained independence from the Trust Territory
of the Pacific Islands, and remained in free association with the United States.
December 22,
1990
The United Nations terminated the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands for all but
the Palau district.
May 25, 1994
The United Nations terminated the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands for
the Palau district, ending the territory and making Palau de facto independent, as it
was not a territory of the United States.
October 1, 199
Palau attained de jure independence, but it remained in free association with the
United States.[22]
December 11,
The Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico enacted a concurrent resolution to request
the President and the Congress of the United States to respond diligently and
effectively, and to act on the demand of the people of Puerto Rico, as freely and
democratically expressed in the plebiscite held on November 6, 2012, to end, once
and for all, its current form of territorial status and to begin the process to admit
Puerto Rico to the Union as a State.[23]

See also[e
 Insular area
 Political divi
 Political sta
 Territories o
 Unincorpora
 Unorganize
 Unparished

Notes[edit]
^1 Scholars agreed as of 2009 in the Boston College Law Review, "Regardless of
how Puerto Rico looked in 1901 when the Insular Cases were decided, or in 1922,
today, Puerto Rico seems to be the paradigm of an incorporated territory as modern
jurisprudence understands that legal term of art".[24] In November 2008 a district court
judge ruled that a sequence of prior Congressional actions had the cumulative effect
of changing Puerto Rico's status to incorporated.[25]

Reference
1. ^ U.S. Insular
Constitution,
June 14, 2013
2. ^ "Non-Self-G
Nations. Retr
3. ^ David Vine
have given up
 America?".  T
Retrieved  Oc
4. ^ "U.S. Censu
Rico".  Censu
5. ^ Jump up to:a b A
unorganized,
passed an Or
governing und
on July 1, 196
6. ^ "Puerto Ric
States".  Puer
the United Sta
8,  2016.
7. ^ Definitions
organizations
the Wayback
Viewed June
Accountability
Insular Areas
35. Viewed Ju
8. ^ See 8 U.S.C
1101(a)(38) P
States" defini
Immigration a
9. ^ Vignarajah,
legitimacy: ex
‘Insular Case
the Wayback
Review, 2010
10. ^ Consejo de
Rullan, Secre
Puerto Rico p
11. ^ The Insular
Regime of Po
Torruella  (PD
12. ^ Balzac v. P
(1922)
13. ^ Jump up to:a b R
(1905)
14. ^ "U.S. Censu
Population Co
Census. Augu
original  on Se
Retrieved  Se
15. ^ Midway Isla
Retrieved on
16. ^ The World A
17. ^ "Transfer D
28, 2007. Ret
18. ^ Jump up to:    "M
a b

Retrieved  Au
19. ^ Jump up to:a b c I
an empire  : a
States  (First 
7214-5.
20. ^ Jump up to:a b c d
U.S. Departm
 original  on M
10, 2006.
21. ^ "Municipalit
Statoids. Retr
22. ^ "Backgroun
and Pacific A
23. ^ The Senate
Puerto Rico C
24. ^ Lawson, Ga
legal status re
the Wayback
25. ^ Consejo de
p. 28: "The C
Rico througho
entire Constit

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