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In the history of the United States, an organized territory is a territory for which the United States Congress has enacted an Organic Act. The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ...
The provisions of an Organic Act typically include the establishment of a Bill of Rights for the territory, as well as the framework of a tripartite government. Such a territory is said to be organized. Historically, an organized territory differed from a state in that although the organic act allowed for limited self-government, a territory had no constitution and ultimate authority over the territory was held not by the territorial government but by the United States Congress. Some contemporary organized territories have constitutions, but such constitutions are distinct from state constitutions in that they do not qualify the territory for becoming a state of the union. A bill of rights is a statement of certain rights that citizens and/or residents of a free and democratic society have (or ought to have) under the laws of that society. ...
In politics, the principle of checks and balances underlies many democratic governments. ...
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, together with the District of Columbia, form the United States of America. ...
The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ...
The first organized territory in the United States was the Northwest Territory, organized in 1787 by the passage of the Northwest Ordinance, which is the prototype for subsequent organic acts. The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and the Territory North West of the Ohio, was a government and region within the early United States. ...
1787 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...
The Northwest Ordinance (formally An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio, and also known as the Freedom Ordinance) was an act of the Continental Congress of the United States passed on July 13, 1787 under the Articles of Confederation. ...
Historically, the organization of a territory by the passage of an organic act was typically a prelude to statehood. In the current lexicon of the United States political insular areas, a "commonwealth" is considered a special case of an organized territory. At present, there are two—Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands. Neither of these, however, is an incorporated territory. A U.S. state is any one of the 50 states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, together with the District of Columbia, form the United States of America. ...
It has been suggested that Incorporated territory be merged into this article or section. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Insular area. ...
Contemporary organized territories Currently, the following are examples of U.S. territories:
Guam and the United States Virgin Islands.
See also These are historic regions of the United States, meaning regions that were legal entities in the past, or which the average modern American would no longer immediately recognize as a regional description. ...
The term unorganized territories has several connotations depending the exact usage and context. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Insular area. ...
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