In recent months, several people have debated whether Puerto Rico should become America's 51st state. Puerto Rico, one of America's several territories, is currently in a major debt and is unable to declare bankruptcy because of its status as a territory. Puerto Rico, however, is very lucky as a territory since its residents are actual citizens of the United States with (almost) all its rights and privileges.
The United States contains several territories which actually lack several constitutional rights, like the right to vote in federal elections. To know why this is a thing, we have to go back to the time where the United States, along with several European countries, dabbled in an idea called empire.
During the 1800s, the US annexed several territories, like the continental regions once part of Mexico and islands like Puerto Rico and the Philippines, after fighting several wars with Spain, Mexico, etc. In 1901, the Supreme Court issued opinions under that is now considered to be the Insular Cases, which state that not all of the rights of the US Constitutions apply to the unincorporated territories (basically the current US territories), even if the inhabitants of said territories are citizens of the US. The reason for that: racism. According to the Cases, especially in Downes v. Bidwell, the constitution does not fully apply because those possessions are inhabited by alien races, differing from us in religion, customs, laws, methods of taxation, and modes of thought, the administration of government and justice, according to Anglo-Saxon principles.
Because of these Insular Cases, many of these territories are not truly represented and respected as they should be. In fact, these territories do have neither any US representatives nor senators in Congress; they only have delegates who cannot vote on any policies or decisions in the legislature, but can speak in the chambers.
This does not apply only to the "obscure islands in the Pacific"; Washington DC, the nation's very own capital, is also classified as a territory. While the residents and citizens there do have all the rights and protection of the constitution, its laws and regulations are not made by the local officials that know of the state of the district; they are made by Congress, filled up with several hundred representatives and senators from every other state but Washington DC. That means that the outsiders make the decisions for Washington DC, which actually reduces the voice of the people in DC who are not politicians or bureaucrats.
This is very unfortunate since these territories contributed as much or even more to protect our country than other states, especially in the scope of the military. In Guam, around one in eight residents have served in the armed forces, yet the funding for the VA in Guam is ranked the lowest with only $822 per veteran. Even in the American Samoa, the Samoans are not even deemed naturalized citizens; instead, they are called "nationals" with fewer rights and protections than any other state or territory in the US. What is even more depressing about that is that the Palmyra Atoll, another territory which is uninhabited, is incorporated, meaning the full rights of the US constitution applies to the region and, theoretically, people born there are naturalized citizens.
With the several territories under the control of the United States in the modern age, it is about time that these territories get the full constitutional rights and protection and get more of a voice in many domestic matters. The laws placed against them are from a time of imperialism and extremely institutional racism. We cannot let them suffer anymore.
