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Organized territory
*** Shopping-Tip: Organized territory
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 provisions of an Organic Act typically include the establishment of a
Bill of Rights for the territory, as well as the framework of a
checks and balances tripartite government. Such a territory is said to be ''organized''. Historically, an organized territory differed from a
U.S. state 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.
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.
Historically, the organization of a territory by the passage of an organic act was typically a prelude to
U.S. state statehood. In the current lexicon of the United States political
insular areas, a "
Commonwealth (U.S. insular area) 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.
Contemporary organized territories
Currently, the following are examples of U.S. territories:
Guam and the
United States Virgin Islands.
See also
*
Historic regions of the United States
*
Unorganized territory
*
Incorporated territory
External link
-
Department of the Interior Definitions of Insular Area Political Organizations
Category:Subdivisions of the United States
et:Organiseeritud ala
