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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 2 1900
The Foraker Act organizes Puerto Rico.
;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.
;March 31 1917
The United States takes possession of the U.S. Virgin Islands under the terms of a treaty with Denmark.^[1]
;May 17 1932
The name of Porto Rico changed to Puerto Rico.^[2]
;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.^[3]
;July 25 1952
Puerto Rico became a Commonwealth of the United States, an unincorporated organized territory, with the ratification of its constitution.²
;July 22 1954
The Organic Act for the United States Virgin Islands goes into effect, making them an unincorporated, organized territory.³
;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.³
;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.^3[4]
;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.^[5]

Contents

References

See also

References

1. Transfer Day
2. Municipalities of Puerto Rico
3. Relationship with the Insular Areas
4. Municipalities of Northern Mariana Islands
5. Background Note: Palau

See also

★ Territories of the United States

★ Political divisions of the United States

★ Insular area