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Commonwealth is a term used by two
unincorporated territories of the United States Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the federal government of the United States. The various American territories differ from the U.S. states and tribal reservations as they are not sover ...
in their full official names, which are the
Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonwea ...
, whose full name is ''Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands'', and
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
, which is named ''Commonwealth of Puerto Rico'' in English and ''Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico'' in Spanish, translating to "Free Associated State of Puerto Rico." The term was also used by the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
during most of its period under U.S. sovereignty, when it was officially called the '' Commonwealth of the Philippines''. The definition of ''
commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
'' according to 2013
United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nat ...
policy, as codified in the department's ''
Foreign Affairs Manual The ''Foreign Affairs Manual'' (FAM) is published by the United States Department of State and can be accessed on the department's website. It contains the functional statements, organizational responsibilities, and authorities of each of the m ...
'', reads: "The term 'Commonwealth' does not describe or provide for any specific political status or relationship. It has, for example, been applied to both states and territories. When used in connection with
areas Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while ''surface area'' refers to the area of an open s ...
under U.S. sovereignty that are not states, the term broadly describes an area that is self-governing under a constitution of its adoption and whose right of self-government will not be unilaterally withdrawn by the U.S. Congress."


Current commonwealths


Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

Of the current U.S.
insular area In the law of the United States, an insular area is a U.S.-associated jurisdiction that is not part of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. This includes fourteen U.S. territories administered under U.S. sovereignty, as well as three sove ...
s, the term was first used by
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
in 1952 as its formal name in English ("Commonwealth of Puerto Rico"). The formal name in Spanish for Puerto Rico is ''Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico'' ("Free Associated State of Puerto Rico"). The United States acquired the islands of Puerto Rico in 1898 after the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...
. In 1950, Congress enacted legislation (P.L. 81-600) authorizing Puerto Rico to hold a constitutional convention, and in 1952, the people of Puerto Rico ratified a constitution establishing a republican form of government for the island. Puerto Rico's political relationship with the U.S. has been a continuing source of debate in
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
, the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
, and the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
. The issue revolves around whether Puerto Rico should remain a U.S. territory, become a U.S. state, or become an independent country. The debate has spawned several referendums, presidential executive orders and bills in the U.S. Congress. Ultimately the U.S. Congress is the only body empowered to decide the political status of Puerto Rico, as stated under the Territorial Clause. Despite the Spanish translation of the term "commonwealth", Puerto Rico's relationship with United States is not a
Compact of Free Association The Compact of Free Association (COFA) is an international agreement establishing and governing the relationships of free association between the United States and the three Pacific Island sovereign states of the Federated States of Micronesia (F ...
(which is the case for the
Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four Administrative divisions of the Federated States of Micronesia#States, states from west to east, Yap State, Yap, Chuuk State, Chuuk, P ...
,
Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...
, and the
Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...
). As sovereign states, these islands have full right to conduct their own foreign relations, while the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is part of the United States as a territory. The territory was organized by the
Foraker Act The Foraker Act, , officially known as the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian (albeit limited popular) government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had recently become a possession of the United State ...
in 1900, which was amended by the Jones–Shafroth Act in 1917. The drafting of the
Constitution of Puerto Rico The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, Constitución del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is the controlling government document of Puerto Rico. It is composed of nine articles detailing the structure of the government a ...
by its residents was authorized by Congress in 1951, and the result approved in 1952. The government of Puerto Rico has held several referendums with the options of U.S. statehood, independence, and commonwealth; the commonwealth option won on multiple plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998. In 2012, 54% of the voters did not wish to continue the present territorial status. Of the non-territorial statuses, becoming a U.S. state got 61.16% of the votes, Sovereign Free Associate State got 33.34% and Independence got 5.49%. In 2017, 97.18% voted overwhelmingly for statehood, with 1.5% for
independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the st ...
or free association and 1.32% for maintenance of the territorial status. The unusually high percentage of votes for statehood was attributed to a boycott led by the pro-status quo Popular Democrats, leading to a very low turnout of 22.93%, mainly made up of pro-statehood voters. In 2020, there were only two options on the ballot. 52.52% of voters favored Puerto Rico's immediate admission to the Union and 47.48% voted against it, with a 54.72% turnout. Puerto Ricans have American citizenship and vote for a
resident commissioner of Puerto Rico The resident commissioner of Puerto Rico () is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years, the only member of the House of Representatives ...
, with voice but without vote, in the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
. With the exception of federal employees (such as employees of the
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
,
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
, and servicemen in all branches of the military) and people who earn their income from outside of the
U.S. territories Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the federal government of the United States. The various American territories differ from the U.S. states and tribal reservations as they are not sove ...
, residents of Puerto Rico generally do not pay federal income taxes, but are required to pay all other federal taxes (such as
Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
and Medicare) and Puerto Rico has no representation in the Electoral College that ultimately chooses the U.S. president and vice president. Puerto Rico has sports sovereignty, with its own national team at the Olympics and at other international competitions. Puerto Rico also participates in different international organizations such as the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) (associate member), the
Organization of Ibero-American States The Organization of Ibero-American States ( es, Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos, pt, Organização de Estados Iberoamericanos, ca, Organització d'Estats Iberoamericans; abbreviated as OEI), formally the Organization of Ibero-American ...
(full member), and the
Ibero-American Summit The Ibero-American Summit, formally the Ibero-American Conference of Heads of State and Governments ( es, Cumbres Iberoamericanas de Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno, pt, Cimeiras (or Cúpulas) Ibero-Americanas de Chefes de Estado e de Governo), is ...
(associate member).


Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

In 1976, Congress approved the mutually negotiated ''Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) in Political Union with the United States''. Prior to November 28, 2009, the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) did not apply in the CNMI. Rather, a separate immigration system existed in the CNMI. This system was established under the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonwea ...
in Political Union with the United States of America ("Covenant"), which was signed in 1975 and codified as 48 U.S.C. § 1801. The covenant was unilaterally amended by the
Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 The Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 (; CNRA) was an act passed in the 110th United States Congress and enacted on May 8, 2008. Legislative history The bill was introduced by Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, a Democrat and the cha ...
(CNRA) approved by the
U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...
on May 8, 2008, thus altering the CNMI's immigration system, making the Immigration and Nationality Act the applicable immigration law of CNMI. Transition to U.S. Immigration Law began November 28, 2009 in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). CNMI's immigration laws have been replaced by the INA and other U.S. immigration laws.


Representation in Congress

U.S. insular areas are not afforded direct representation in the federal legislature, either in the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the ...
or in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ca ...
. Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution provides that each U.S. state is entitled to two senators, but makes no provision for representation of insular areas in the Senate. Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution apportions seats in the House of Representatives among the U.S. states by population, with each state being entitled to at least one representative, but makes no provision for representation of insular areas in the House. Insular areas are, however, afforded limited representation in the House by a delegate who may vote in committee but not on the House floor.


Former commonwealth


Commonwealth of the Philippines

The Commonwealth of the Philippines was an insular area that held commonwealth status from November 15, 1935 until July 4, 1946. The United States recognized the then-future independence of the Philippines in 1934 but called for a ten-year transitional period.The Philippines independence Act (Tydings-McDuffie Act)
Approved March 24, 1934, Section 10.(a), Chan Robles Law Library.


See also

* Commonwealth (U.S. state) *
Politics of Puerto Rico The politics of Puerto Rico take place in the framework of a democratic republic form of government that is under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States Congress as an organized unincorporated territory. Since the 1898 invasio ...
*
Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic system, whereby the Governor is head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. The Northern Mariana Islands is an unin ...
* President's Task Force on Puerto Rico's Status *
Territories of the United States Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the federal government of the United States. The various American territories differ from the U.S. states and tribal reservations as they are not sover ...
*
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Commonwealth (United States Insular Area) Insular areas of the United States