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Unincorporated territories are areas controlled by the government of the United States which are not part of the United States proper. The history of these territories is as follows:

April 11, 1899

The 1898 Treaty of Paris came in to effect, transferring Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States, all three becoming unorganized, unincorporated territories.

April 12, 1900

The Foraker Act organizes Puerto Rico. ^[1]

June 7, 1900

The United States takes control of its 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

Emilio Aguinaldo, the Filipino leader in the Philippine-American War, surrenders allowing the United States to form a civilian government.

August 29, 1916

The Philippine Autonomy Act or Jones Law is signed promising the Philippines independence.

March 2, 1917

Jones-Shafroth Act reorganizes Puerto Rico. This act conferred United States citizenship on all citizens of Puerto Rico.

March 31, 1917

The United States purchased the U.S. Virgin Islands under the terms of a treaty with Denmark.^[2]

May 17, 1932

The name of Porto Rico changed to Puerto Rico.^[3]

March 24, 1934

The Tydings-McDuffie Act is signed allowing the creation of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.

July 4, 1946

The United States recognized Philippine independence.

July 14, 1947

The United Nations grants 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, Federated States of Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau. It was a trusteeship, and not a territory.

July 1, 1950

The Guam Organic Act came into effect, organizing Guam as an unincorporated territory.^[4]

July 25, 1952

Puerto Rico became a Commonwealth of the United States, an unincorporated organized territory, with the ratification of its constitution.^[3]

July 22, 1954

The Organic Act for the United States Virgin Islands goes into effect, making them an unincorporated, organized territory.^[4]

July 1, 1967

American Samoa's constitution became effective. Even though no Organic Act has been passed, this move to self-government made American Samoa similar to an organized territory.^[4]

January 1, 1978

The Northern Mariana Islands leave the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands to be a commonwealth of the United States, making it unincorporated and organized.^[4][5]

October 21, 1986

The Marshall Islands attain 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.

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, making Palau de facto independent, as it was not a territory of the United States.

October 1, 1994

Palau attained de jure independence, but remained in free association with the United States.^[6]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Territories of the United States
• Political divisions of the United States
• Insular area