a series of five Supreme Court rulings from 1901 to 1922 to determine whether or not their new territories should be included in America under the Constitution.
The Open Door Policy was a clever move on the part of the United States to create trade opportunities between the U.S. and China while additionally asserting American interests in the Far East. In the short term, the Open Door Policy allowed the United States to expand its markets for industrialized goods.
Also known as The Boxer Uprising, this was the popular peasant uprising in China (supported nationally), that blamed foreign people and institutions for the loss of the traditional Chinese way of life. "Boxers" were traditionally skilled fighters that attacked Westerners, beginning with Christian missionaries.
The Teller Amendment was an amendment to this declaration which declared that when the United States had overthrown Spanish rule of Cuba it would give the Cubans their freedom. He was ordered to attack the Spanish fleet in the Philippines.
The Roosevelt Corollary was a foreign policy statement by Teddy Roosevelt in 1904 that claimed the right of the United States to intervene in the domestic affairs of Western Hemisphere nations to maintain stability.
The Democratic Party platform of 1900 declared that “We hold that the Constitution follows the flag, and denounce the doctrine that [the federal government] can exercise lawful authority beyond it or in violation of it.” In opposition were those who believed that normal legal rights and rules did not apply fully—or at
Puerto Ricans are also covered by a group of "fundamental civil rights" but, since Puerto Rico is not a state, Puerto Ricans are not covered by the full American Bill of Rights.
Learn more about U.S. territories
- American Samoa.
- Guam.
- Northern Mariana Islands.
- Puerto Rico.
- U.S. Virgin Islands.
Five territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) are permanently inhabited, unincorporated territories; the other nine are small islands, atolls and reefs with no native (or permanent) population.
Jamaica lies about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola (the island containing the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic); the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands lies some 215 kilometres (134 mi) to the north-west.
Guam is an unincorporated territory of the United States. Most but not all federal laws apply to Guam. In addition to the U.S. Constitution, which is the supreme law of the U.S., federal laws include statutes that are periodically codified in the U.S. Code.
In 1907, the Philippines convened its first elected assembly, and in 1916, the Jones Act promised the nation eventual independence. The archipelago became an autonomous commonwealth in 1935, and the U.S. granted independence in 1946.
Of the
thirteen territories, five are inhabited. These are either organized or self-governing but unincorporated. These are
American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the
U.S. Virgin Islands.
Current.
| Territory | Total |
|---|
| Population | c. 3,900,000 |
|---|
| Area (km2) | 12,272.24 km2 |
|---|
| Area (sq mi) | 4,738.34 sq mi |
|---|
As statehood candidates, their admission to the Union requires congressional approval. American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands are also U.S. territories and could potentially become U.S. states.
In the United States, a territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters (around islands or continental tracts). The United States asserts sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing its territory.
The political status of Puerto Rico is that of an unincorporated territory of the United States. As such, the island of Puerto Rico is neither a sovereign nation nor a U.S. state. Because of that ambiguity, the territory, as a polity, lacks certain rights but enjoys certain benefits that other polities have or lack.
