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== Unincorporated territories == {{Main|Unincorporated territories of the United States}} The United States possesses a number of [[Unincorporated territories of the United States|unincorporated territories]], including 16 island territories across the globe.<ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last=EDICK |first=COLE |date=2015|title=Relics of Colonialism: Overseas Territories Across the Globe|journal=Harvard International Review |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=11–12 |jstor=43746158 |issn=0739-1854}}</ref> These are areas of land which are not under the jurisdiction of any state, and do not have a government established by Congress through an [[organic act]]. Citizens of these territories can vote for members of their own local governments, and some can also elect representatives to serve in Congress—though they only have observer status.<ref name=":10" /> The unincorporated territories of the U.S. include the permanently inhabited territories of [[American Samoa]], [[Guam]], the [[Northern Mariana Islands]], [[Puerto Rico]], and the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]]; as well as [[United States Minor Outlying Islands|minor outlying islands]] such as [[Baker Island]], [[Howland Island]], [[Jarvis Island]], [[Johnston Atoll]], [[Kingman Reef]], [[Midway Atoll]], [[Navassa Island]], [[Palmyra Atoll]], [[Wake Island]], and others. American Samoa is the only territory with a native resident population and is governed by a local authority. Despite the fact that an organic act was not passed in Congress, American Samoa established its own [[Constitution of American Samoa|constitution]] in 1967, and has self governed ever since.<ref>{{cite web|date=2015-06-11|title=American Samoa|url=https://www.doi.gov/oia/islands/american-samoa|access-date=2020-07-27 |language=en}}</ref> Seeking [[Admission to the Union|statehood]] or independence is often debated in US territories, such as in Puerto Rico, but even if referendums on these issues are held, congressional approval is needed for changes in status to take place.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Guthunz|first=Ute|date=1997|title=Beyond Decolonization and Beyond Statehood? Puerto Rico's Political Development in Association with the United States|journal=Iberoamericana |volume=21|issue=3/4 (67/68)|pages=42–55|jstor=41671654|issn=0342-1864}}</ref> The citizenship status of residents in US unincorporated territories has caused concern for their ability to influence and participate in the politics of the United States. In recent decades, the Supreme Court has established voting as a fundamental right of US citizens, even though residents of territories do not hold full voting rights.<ref name=":11">{{Cite journal|last=Kömives|first=Lisa M.|date=2004|title=Enfranchising a Discrete and Insular Minority: Extending Federal Voting Rights to American Citizens Living in United States Territories|journal=The University of Miami Inter-American Law Review|volume=36|issue=1|pages=115–138|jstor=40176588|issn=0884-1756}}</ref> Despite this, residents must still abide by federal laws that they cannot equitably influence, as well as register for the national [[Selective Service System]], which has led some scholars to argue that residents of territories are essentially second-class citizens.<ref name=":11" /> The legal justifications for these discrepancies stem from the [[Insular Cases]], which were a series of 1901 Supreme Court cases that some consider to be reflective of imperialism and racist views held in the United States.<ref name=":10" /> Unequal access to political participation in US territories has also been criticized for affecting US citizens who move to territories, as such an action requires forfeiting the full voting rights that they would have held in the 50 states.<ref name=":11" />
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