Last week's assignment focused on the changes in America's economy and social structure at the dawn of the twentieth century. In lecture we also discussed the change in America's standing in the international community (Age of Empire) and the acquisition of new territories through war and annexation. This week's assignment is something of a geography exercise. You are to research an American territory and report back on your findings. Here's what I want to see:
1) A brief summary of the territory's history;
2) An explanation of the current governmental structure;
3) and details about the people and culture.
Answer the question, "What do you see as being the future of U.S. territories?"
Your essay schould be at least 200 words long and include reference citations. Respond to at least two other posts with at total of at least 150 words. Thanks and God bless!
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ReplyDeleteThis is a relatively brief overview of the territory of puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is an island which was captured by the Spanish and later the us. The island was mostly inhabiited by Indians before the Spanish invaded. These Indians reffered to the land as "the land of lords". The Spanish called it "San juan bautista" or saint john the baptist.
ReplyDeleteThe island is now a territory of the united states and the head of the puerto rican government is the president of the united states. They have the same bicameral or two house system of legislation as us, a house of representatives and a senate. The culture of puerto Rico is very diverse because of the mix of American, native, and Spanish culture.
I enjoyed this assignment. I like learning about other areas, especially US territories.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S Virgin Islands, located east of Puerto Rico between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, was first discovered by Columbus in 1493. The islands were claimed by England for many years (since 1666) and was eventually acquired by Denmark until 1917 when it was bought from them for $25 million by the US. They were given US citizenship in 1927.
The Virgin Islands, although not apart of the mainland of the US, abides by the same laws and government system. The president and our government primarily rules over them, but they do have their own governor, much like a state does here in the mainland. They, however, do not vote in presidential elections.
The majority of the 110,000 people who live there are of European or African decent, but there are also many Americans their who are vacationing or have moved there to get away from the mainland. They have many of the same restaurants, stores, and music like America, but have a mix of their own Caribbean-like culture as well. Almost everyone speaks English, but there is a mix of Spanish, French, and Creole. If you haven't already guessed it, tourism is their major economic activity with the majority of the jobs relating to that as well. St. Thomas is the most popular tourist island in the Virgin Islands with St. Croix and St. John also being a popular area.
I think US territories will continues to be those places that you never think about and forget that they are apart of the US. Most of them have a lot of history behind them and are quite beautiful.
Sources:
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0113951.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g147400-s202/U-S-Virgin-Islands:Caribbean:Culture.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vq.html
The United States annexed Hawaii after the Spanish-American War in 1900. It is a state now, but it was an important U.S. territory during the Age of Empire.
ReplyDeleteEven if you’ve never been there, you probably would already be able to picture Hawaii in your mind. I’ve never been there and I could already tell you about one of the most beautiful places on earth- its warm, sunny weather, palm-fringed beaches, with waters bluer than you ever imagined were possible, and its known to be home of some of the highest volcanoes( dormant or living)-without even researching anything. However, by researching some on Hawaii, I discovered some things that are interesting to know.
Polynesian voyagers were the first known settlers in Hawaii, in about c.750. Captain James Cooke and some others visited Hawaii in 1778, naming them the Sandwich Islands after the first Lord of Admiralty, Sandwich. In 1820, missionaries began to arrive in Hawaii and started spreading Christianity, building schools, and formed the Hawaiian alphabet and translated the Bible in Hawaiian. This influence from the missionaries helped encourage the ruler in 1839, Kamehameha III, to have guaranteed religious freedom and a constitutional monarchy. The sugar in Hawaii was also something that helped link Hawaii and the U.S., since they had it exported to the U.S. in great amounts, and then American businessman began to be involved in the industry as well. It became a state in 1959.
The government structure from what I’ve gathered seems to be similar to any other state’s structure- being made up of three branches, including executive, legislative, and judicial.. In the executive branch, the governor is head of it and is in charge of execution of law and and supervision of the executive department and establishes the goals for the state and reaches them. The legislative branch mostly creates and maintains laws, and the judicial is made up of two levels. The first level including the Supreme Court(which is the highest court in the state) and the trivial level which takes care of all criminal and civil cases and hold trials.
There are more ethnic/cultural groups in Hawaii than any other state. Hawaii consists of Chinese laborers, Portuguese, German, Japanese and Puerto Rican immigrants. Full-blooded Hawaiians decrease in number with interracial marriage being the main reason. One thing I found interesting about the culture was that May 1, 1928 began the tradition of Lei Day. Everyone in Honolulu was encouraged to wear a lei and they have festivals, hula music, and hula making contests.
My sources were: www.netstate.com/states/government/hi_government.htm and www.infoplease.com and www.go.hawaii.about.com/festivals/a/lei_day_hawaii.htm
I am going to do my report on American Samoa. American Samoa is a group of six (on one website seven) islands in the south pacific. I have found some contradictory information on when the islands became a territory so I am going to say they became one around 1899 or 1900. The capital is Pago Pago. American Samoa is the southern most point in the United States and its territories. The islands are also known as the "heart of polynesia."
ReplyDeleteThe islands were settled about 1000 BC. They were not influinced by many social groups outside of the polynesian area. The influinces they got from the area were mainly from small impires with names that are to hard to say. After the islands won their independence from the small impires. Explorers believed the people to be frociouse and violent.
I am now going to skip ahead to 1889 when three German war ships invaded a harbor and in doing so destroyed some American property. In retaliation The United States sent three war ships. Before any body fired a typhoon came and destroyed all six of the ships.
After Samoa became a territory at the turn of the century the United States placed a naval base in the territory. The government is similar to ours only instead of having a president they have a governor.
The culture is much like that of many other south pacific islands. However, there is one distinction.More than 98% of the population is Christian. American Samoa is also known for producing some of the top professional athletes in the NFL. Perhaps the most famous is the Pittsburgh Steelers own Troy Polamalu the best defensive player to ever play football.
My oppinion on the future of territories is much the same as that of colby. They will continue to be over looked until poeple want to go on vacation.
http://americanhistory.about.com/library/charts/blchartterritories.htm
Guam is an island that is located in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. I don't know if this is exactly true, but it was said that Guam was first occupied around 4,000 years ago by southeastern Indonesians. On March 6, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to set foot on Guam. He later came back in 1688. In later years Spain sent many explorers to create colonies in Guam. It remained a Spanish territory until 1898 when Spain surrendered it to the United States as part of the Treaty of Paris,1898. On December 8, 1941, Guam was attacked and captured by the Japanese not long after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. It was occupied by the Japanese for two and a half years. While they occupied it, the Japanese changed the name to Ō-miya Jima and they also tortured and raped the people. On July 21, 1944, America won back and gained full control of Guam.
ReplyDeleteThe government of Guam is similar to the United states government. The people elect a governor and it has a 15 member legislature. Guam does have a non-voting delegate that goes and represents Guam in the House of Representatives. The people do get to vote for their choice of U.S. president but in the end their vote does not count because Guam does not have votes in the Electoral College.
The culture of Guam is based around sea navigation, dance, cultural games, fishing, and songs. When the Spanish came to Guam they changed the people to Roman Catholicism. Because of the influences of many cultures, some of Guam's original culture has been lost. The people get their main source of income from the U.S. military and tourism. Many of the tourists that come to Guam are Japanese.
In the end, Guam is a place that not many people really know about. The only thing that it is best remebered by is the role that it played for the U.S. military during World War II.
The best source I had:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guam
Anna Katherine, although Hawaii is a state, it was a territory and I think you had a very eloquent essay. This assignment was very enjoyable and I can tell that you really put forth sone effort in your essay.
ReplyDeleteColby, you tied in puerto Rico in your essay, which was awesome. I found your essay very educational and also entertaining to read. Your essay was a very well typed essay and I enjoyed reading it
ReplyDeleteNot to copy, but I'm going to talk about Puerto Rico, because I am half puerto rican. Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico on november 19, 1493. The inhabitants of puerto rico were Arawak Indians, or "Tainos". The spaniards soon took over the island, and forced the natives into slavery, which started to die because of harsh working conditions and diseases brought by the spaniards. The first governor to take office was Juan Ponce de Leon, the capital being San Juan. In 1511, the natives revolted. They drowned the spanish soldier Diego Salcedo, to see if the spaniards were immortal(They weren't!). The revolt was quickly stopped by Ponce de Leon, and within a few decades, most of the population of natives was decimated by diseases, violence, and suicide. In 1520, when Charles V emancipated the rest of the natives, hardly any remained. To replace them, african slaves were introduced, and Puerto Rico soon became an important port and stronghold. Skipping ahead, during the spanish american war, on july 25, 1898, America invaded Puerto Rico. As a result of the Treaty of Paris, Puerto Rico, Guam, Cuba, and the Philippines became part of the U.S.A.
ReplyDeleteThe Puerto Ricans have a republican form of government, and are under american jurisdiction and sovereignty.
They have a very interesting culture, actually a mix o four different cultures:american, african, spanish, and Taino. Their culture has a great emphasis on music, which, like their culture, is a combination of many different styles. The sport played the most there is baseball. Almost all puerto ricans are catholic, a result of early spanish influence.
I see the future of the american territories as remaining much the same as it is now, possibly with the exception of them becoming states.
I've decided to write about Alaska. Well in 1741 a Russian, Vitus Bering, led an expedition and came upon Alaska. When he and the men on the expedition returned to russia with there findings which was mostly fur. When word was out about that fur traders sailed over to Alaska. The first settlement was founded in 1784. The Russians didn't completely colonize all of Alaska. So on march 30, 1767 the US senate approved of the purchasing of Alaska from Russia. It was bought for about two cents an acre which totalled to about 7.2 million dollars.
ReplyDeleteAlaska like all of the US states is governed as a republic and has three branches of government. The legislative branch with a House of Representatives, a judicial branch with a Supreme Court, and an executive branch with a Governor. The House of Representatives has fourty members and the Senate has twenty memmebers.
Fifteen percent of the states population is made up of Alaska Natives. They have many traditions such as hunting and fishing, whaling, and makin crafts and arts. According to the school district the student body come from homes that speak eighty-three languages.
Well I think the territories will probably stay the same for the most part. But you never know. With all the changes that are going on now, it's hard to know whats going to happen next. Things are changing fast and I don't really know what to expect next but I'm kinda scared to find out whats going to happen next. So to be quite honest I don't know what the future is of them.
Oh and here are the sites i used: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska#History
ReplyDeletehttp://www.alaska.com/about/history/
I am doing the Northern Mariana Islands.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I chose this territory was that, I, for one, was not familiar with it in any way whatsoever. I figured I could learn about the territory as I did my report.
The Northern Mariana Islands are in the same geographical region as Guam. They are just set up and governed differently, therefore they are separate territories.
The islands are set up as a commonweath in union with U.S. Barack Obmama is considdered the head of state, and they follow many U.S. customs, such as the currency is the same as of that in America.
Also, I discovered that the islands had an interesting history. Magellan is said to have stopped by the islands on his journey around the world in 1521. Approxamately 100 years later, Spain had gradualy tried to settle on the islands, but thinks weren't woking out. Spainards and natives were getting into fights over land (at one point the Spainish killed 4% of the entire population in about a week). To make matters worse, 95% of the population died from Spnaish diease in the years that followed.Germany and Japan even took turns claiming the islands before the U.S. claimed them at the end of WWII. On June 15, 1944, the United States military invaded the islands starting the Battle of Saipan (it ended on July 9th). After the atom bombs were dropped and the Japanese surrended, sevaral small military bases were setup on the islands in case of another rise from the Japanese.
I choose to discuss Wake Island, also known as Wake Atoll.
ReplyDeleteWake Island is located in the Northern Pacific Ocean, in a key location between Guam and the Hawaiin Islands. Its main purpose today is a large (9,400 feet long) runway and a missile base. The runway is operated by the Air Force and the missile base is operated by the Army. Around 200 military contractors live on the island today.
Wake Island is located West of the International Date Line, which means their time is one day ahead of our time in the United States.
Wake Island was annexed as a U.S. territory on January 17, 1899.
During WWII, Wake Island was home to around 1,600 military personnel. 500 of these were elements of the 1st Marine Defense Regiment. the other 1,100 were civilian workers.
On December 7th, 1941 (the day Pearl Harbor was also attacked) Wake Island was also invaded. BUT it was the 8th on Wake Island, because their West of the International Date Line. The Marines beat back the Japenese several times, but the sheer numbers of Imperial Japenese Army just overwhelmed the Marines.
Wake Island was liberated on September 7th, 1945.
Wake Island has no record of a cultural history.
There is also no real "government" on Wake Island, they are under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior.
Maxwell, I liked reading your essay. Especially about the government of Guam. I didn't know that they elected a governor. Or that they even had a legislature! It does kind of stink that their votes don't in the presidential elections. Although it does give the people a sense of involvement in the government. Also, not surprising that their main source of income is tourism.
ReplyDeleteNice work Maxwell.
Northern Marianas Islands
ReplyDeleteOk So i decided to do this territory because i did not know all that much about it and noone else had written bout it ... well actually nevermind jake did but o well.
History ~ The first European exploration was led by Ferdinand Magellan. This was in 1521. The islands were claimed for Spain and Spain controlled and governed them for a while. After the Spanish/American war of 1898 spain sold the marianas to Germany. During World War 1 Japan got a hold of Islands and kept control of them til near the end of World War 2. When in June 5 1944 the U.S. invaded the Marianas Islands and Japan was defeated. The island were then controled by the U.S. It was decided in 1970 by the people of Marianas Islands not to seek independence. The negotiations for a territorial status began in 1972 and were approved in 1975.
People & Culture ~ The people are known as Micronesians. 3/5 of the population consists of Chomorros. They are influence greatly by the : Spanish, Mexicans, Filipinos, and Asians. The official languages are : English, Chamorro, Carolinian... Culture- The people are creative and artistic. They maintain their heritage very well and believe in strict presevation of their culture. They are very respectfl of their elders and are very friendly and passionate by nature.
Governmental Structure ~ They are self governing. Their legal system id based on the U.S. system except for customs, wages, immigration laws, and taxes. There is the three main branches: Executive, Legislative, Judicial. The legislative branch is bicameral. The senate consists of nine seats elected by popular vote to serve four year staggered terms. The House of Representatives has eighteen seats elected by popular vote to serve two year terms. The Judicial branch has the : Commonwealth Supreme Court, Superior Court, and the Federal District Court.
I see the future of the U.S. territories is them remaining as territories and if any changes then they either may become a state or seek independence ( which i doubt ) ...
My sources
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0113959.html
http://www.mapsofworld.com/country-profile/northern-mariana-islands-economy-people-culture-and-flag.html
Camden, I also enjoyed your essay. Samoa sounds like an interesting place to visit. I didn't know that it was invaded by the Germans back in the 19th century. Haha pretty funny that all 6 of the ships were sunk before they could even fire a single shot at one another. And also it is awesome that 98% percent of the population is Christian.
ReplyDeleteAND HERE IS WHERE YOU FAIL CAMDEN!! Troy Polamalu was born on April 19th, 1981, in GARDEN GROVE, CALIFORNIA!! If you want to be a REAL Steelers fan, do your research correctly!
Other than your Steeler fail (even though your a bandwagon, you disgrace the greatness of Troy Polamalu and the Steelers), you did a good job. Nice work Camden.
1)summary of the territory
ReplyDeletewell the territory i chose was puerto rico.Puerto rico early on was inhabeted by indians,and these indians refered to the land as Borikin or Borinquen,which means the great land of valint and noble lord,or land of great lords.
2)current government structure
puerto rico is a self governing territory allong side the united states.their cheif of state is the president of the united states,their head of goverment is an elected govonor.There are two legeslative chambers and the house of represenatives 51 seats and the senate has 27 seats. Puearto ricos constotution was ratified on mrach third 1952,it was approved by united states congress on july 3 1952,and was set into effect on july 25 1952.
3)details on puerto rico's people and cultur.
Well puerto rico has a very colorful persons backround startin from the 18 century.when people started bringing there african slaves,and other people migrateing there from all over the world such as chinese imagrents,italians,french and germans.
Sam Wier, I didn't know that Wake Island was a United States territory. That's cool that you mentioned that their time is a day ahead of ours. I also didn't know that Wake Island didn't even have a government. Something that most of us Americans that live in the states don't realize is that the American territories don't have as much say in their government, but they don't have to pay taxes. I guess that could be a good thing. Overall you had a really good essay that included a lot of information on Wake Island. Good essay Sam.
ReplyDeleteJake Anderson, I never knew that Germany had ever fought any battles or attacked any islands in the Pacific Ocean or any of America's territories. Also I couldn't believe that the Spanish killed over 4% of the native population of the islands. That's similar to what the Spanish did when they explored South America and Central America. Nice essay, Jake. You told me a lot of things about the Northern Marianas Islands.
ReplyDeletePalmyra Atoll
ReplyDeleteThirty-five years before the U.S. decided to annex Hawaii the Kingdom of Hawaii they had done a little annexation themselves. They annexed the small, about 11.9 square kilometers, island in 1862, but they weren’t the first to claim it. In 1802 the first Western people landed on the island and it was named after their ship Palmyra. It was later claimed by Gerrit Judd for the American Guano Company. After many years of the ownership going back and forth the U.S. formally claimed it February 21, 1912 as a portion of their Hawaii territory. Anyone who read Anna’s essay (and hopefully even you who didn’t) knows that Hawaii became a state, but when Hawaii’s statehood was achieved in 1959 Palmyra Atoll was purposely left out as a territory, to be specific an incorporated territory. Incorporated territories are a part of the U.S. not just something we’ve bought; it also is ruled under the Constitution by the Department of the Interior, so its inhabitants have all the same rights as us. Sadly, the island has no natural inhabitants, and from a July 2001 estimate there are only four to twenty nature conservancy staff members on the island. This means there really isn’t a culture to the island, but the island has had many interesting things happen there like the Sea Wind Murders, where a double murder occurred. With the small population you can imagine the fear on the island. Also, in January of this year The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument was opened on the island.
i am going to choose puerto rico because i want to go there sometime.
ReplyDelete1) borkin or borinquen was what the early inhabitants called puerto rico.Puerto rico,which means the great land of valint and noble lord,or land of great lords was originally inhabited by indians.
2) structure of Govt
similar to the US of A, puerto rico is a self led govt. their cheif of state is the president of the united states,their head of goverment is an elected govonor, which would be like our president.There are two legeslative branches: the house of represenatives with 51 seats and the senate with 27 seats. Puearto ricos constitution was ratified on March 3, 1952,it was approved by united states congress on july 3 1952,and was placed into effect on july 25, 1952.
3)details on puerto rico's people and culture.
puerto rico has a very broad culture of people, starting from the 18 century when people started bringing there african slaves,and other people migrating there from all over the world such as chinese imagrents,italians,french and germans led to a very wide ranged culture, similar to the US. our culture is very broad with all the ppl that come to the us for freedom.
so that was puerto rico for ya..
My territory is Puerto Rico. It is officially called the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is located east of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Sea. It is composed of an archipelago, or a group of many small islands.
ReplyDeleteThe first people to settle there was the Archaic period culture of Amerindians that were mainly hunters and fisherman. There have been archaeological findings of what is believed to be the remains of these people. In the early 16th century, the Spanish found Puerto Rico and colonized it. They basically captured it.
Puerto Rico has a republican form of government. Puerto Rico is technically not an independent country. It doesn’t host embassies, and the head of state is the president of the US. The government of Puerto Rico is composed of our three branches of government: executive, judicial, and legislative. The executive branch is headed by a governor; the legislative is headed by a bicameral legislative assembly, and the judicial by the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. So it is similar to ours, except for the executive branch.
The culture there is a mix of four cultures, but mainly the Spanish. Many there speak Spanish and are Catholics. Also, many traditions and morals there were passed down from the Spanish.
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is in political unity with the Unuted States. In other words, it's one of our territories. It lies in the west Pacific Ocean, about three-fourths of the the way between Hawaii and the Phillipines. The Northern Mariana Islands have about 90,000 people total. An interesting fact I found was that the island has the lowest male to female sex ratio in the world: 76 men to 100 women.
ReplyDeleteThe first European exploration of the area was that led by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, who landed on nearby Guam and claimed the islands for Spain. After the Spanish–American War, Spain granted Guam to the United States and sold the rest of the Marianas to Germany. In World War I Japan gained control of The Northern Marianas, but after Japan's defeat in World War II, the islands were given to the United States as part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
I chose this one because it's quite unfamous. I wanted to educate someone, which I did in a quite boring fashion. The United States has quite a few unfamous territories, quite to my surprise. I do believe that we will probably gain more territories in the future but that it won't be a big deal. I forsee future wars and annexations. The thing that I feel will happen soon regarding territories is that they will become states for political reasons: congressmen.
Josh, good Puerto Rico essay. I know that I usually think of Puerto Rico as its own, independent country, but as you said, it's not. I think it's ashame that we know hardly anything about our territories; I mean, I haven't even heard of half of them. They are apart of our nations indentity. We memorize every state and every state capital and so forth, but we haven't even heard of some of the territories.
ReplyDeleteAlso, about the government structure of some of the territories, they're very similar to ours: Judicial, Legislative, and of course thwey share our Executive branch. With so many countries using the same system we are, it shows that we're doing the right thing
United States Virgin Islands
ReplyDeleteThe Island chain was divided into two parts and given to the English and Dutch during the 17th century. In 1917, the US purchased the Dutch portion of the Islands. The Islands had mainly produced sugar cane, but now it has become modernized and tourism is the most abundant Industry in the Virgin Islands.
The head of Government is John Dejongh. Virgin Island citizens can elect their government officials. They have a unicameral, one-house, legislative Senate with 15 seats and a two year term. Judges are appointed for ten year terms. They have three political parties: Democrat, Republican, and Independent. Their laws are based on the US.
Tourism is the dominant industry. The territory makes 837 million a year, but it spends all of it. The unemployment rate is about 6.2%. The poverty rate is about 28.9%. Consumes about 722 million kilowatts a year. Consumes about 480,600 bbl per day. They use the dollar. There are 74,200 telephones in use and 80,300 cell phones in use. There are approximately 30,000 Internet users in the Virgin Islands. They have two airports and 1,257 kilometers of road. The population is 109,825. 95% of population is urbanized. Majority of population is black, and 42% are Baptist which is the dominate religion.
I do not see The United States Virgin Islands becoming a state. I see many poor African Countries becoming US territories.
My source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vq.html
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePuerto Rico:
ReplyDeletePuerto Rico is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States of America. It is located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico is composed of an archipelago, a chain or cluster of islands that are formed tectonically, which includes the main islands of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands.
When Christopher Columbus arrived at Puerto Rico on his second trip on November 19, 1493, the island was inhabited by a group of Arawak Indians known as Taino. Columbus named the island San Juan Bautista, in honor of Saint Paul the Baptist. Later on down the road they renamed it to Puerto Rico and San Juan became the capital.
Puerto Rico has a republican form of government. It is under control by the U.S. Jurisdiction and Sovereignty. Its current leaders are all delgated by the United States Congress and lack full protection under the United States Constitution.
Puerto Rico's culture is a mix of four different cultures. African Americans, Taino (Amerindians), Spanish and more recent North Americans. A lot of their culture is based around music. They mix a lot of different cultures with music and rhythms.
I see Puerto Rico becoming more and more inhabited with North Americans and eventually see it becoming its own country.
The territory that i am going to write about is Puerto Rico. It was brought into the hold of the United States after the Spanish-American War. We got it once we signed the Treaty of Paris of 1899. The history of Puerto Rico before Christoprher Columbus came over is not very well known. What is known today comes from archaeological findings and early Spanish accounts. When Christopher Columbus arrived at Puerto Rico on his second voyage on November 19,1493 the island was inhabited by a group of Arawak Indians known as Tainos.
ReplyDeletePuerto Rico's govermental system is a democracy. 101 Luis Muñoz Marín was elected during the 1948 general elections, becoming the first popularly-elected governor of Puerto Rico. In 1950, the U.S. Congress approved Public Law 600 (P.L. 81-600) which allowed for a democratic referendum in Puerto Rico to determine whether Puerto Ricans desired to draft their own local constitution. This Act left unchanged all the articles under the Jones Act of 1917 that regulated the relationships between Puerto Rico and the United States.
Puerto Rican culture is a mix of four cultures, African (from the slaves), Tanios (Amerindians), Spanish, and more recently, North American. From Africans, the Puerto Ricans have obtained the "bomba and plena", a type of music and dance including percussions and maracas. From the Amerindians (Taínos), they kept many names for their municipalities, foods, musical instruments like the guiro and maracas. Baseball was one of the first sports to gain widespread popularity in Puerto Rico.
Navassa Island
ReplyDeleteNavassa Island is a very small, insignificant, unimportant island in the Caribbean and territory of the United States. Navassa Island is not part of the United States proper and has no organized government. Navassa Island is located south of Cuba and lies in between Haiti and Jamaica. It is closer to Haiti, though, and it is also claimed by Haiti (not that it really matters, because the island doesn’t matter). The island is extremely small, about two square miles in total size. It is surrounded by cliffs that make boat landing impossible and is made up of mostly exposed limestone and coral.
1. History- The first known discovery of Navassa Island was in 1504, by some of Christopher Columbus’ crew members. Christopher was stranded on Jamaica, and sent the men to Hispaniola for help. They ran into the island on their way there, and the island wouldn’t be seen again until the nineteenth century. Peter Duncan claimed Navassa Island for the United States in 1857 under the Guano Act of 1856. There were several events and happenings from 1865 to 1900, which I will talk about later in this essay. After the Panama Canal was built, Navassa Island became a navigation hazard to shipping between America and the canal. So in 1917 they built a 162-foot lighthouse on the island. The Nowadays, the US fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for the island and they visit it annually.
2. /3. Government, People, and Culture- Navassa Island is currently uninhabited. The only settlement ever established on Navassa Island was Lulu Town in the 1860’s. Guano was actively mined on Navassa Island, starting in 1865. Guano is the excrement of seabirds and has various agricultural and gardening uses. Lulu Town was just a small town where the miners lived on the island. In 1889 some of the miners, upset because of the very hard labor and toil in unfavorable conditions, rebelled killing five supervisors. A black secret society, Order of the Galilean Fisherman, raised money to defend the miners in court, and made it to the Supreme Court in 1990 as Jones vs. United States, but lost. Guano mining on Navassa Island became much smaller over the next decade until there were no miners there at the beginning of the twentieth century. The most people to ever exist on Navassa Island at the same time were the several hundred miners of Lulu town. The island has been visited over the past century, but the only other people to actually live there for a while where Haitian fishermen, who would camp there for extended periods of time, and the lighthouse keeper and his two assistants, who lived there for a little over ten years from 1917 t0 1927, when an automatic beacon replaced the old one
There is my lengthy essay on the insignificant, unimportant, uninhabited, tiny island known as Navassa Island. I do not have any idea what the future of US territories will be, but I think that Navassa Island will continue to not matter
Puerto Rico
ReplyDeleteTerritory History~ Discovered by Columbus in 1493, the island was ceded by Spain to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. The residents of Puerto Rico were the Arawak Indians. A popularly elected governor has served since 1948.
Government Structure~ Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth in association with the United States. Because it is a territory and not a U.S. state, Puerto Rico does not get representation in either house of Congress(Senate and the House of Reps.), and does not get to a vote in the president.
People and Culture~ Puerto Ricans are well known for their warm hospitality and often considered very friendly to strangers.The culture is what people call colorful. It is evident that a strong infusion of arts in the history of Puerto Rico has resulted in its people developing artistic flair. Writings are about as old as the country itself. Early settlers would spend many hours describing their surroundings and experiences in this newly found country. Spanish writers like Fray Tomas de la Torre and Gonzalo Fernandez are high on the list of noteworthy literates.
The future I see for U.S. territories would be them becoming a state of the U.S.
A 199 square kilometer piece of land was discovered by the Europeans in the 18th century was the American Samoa. It was believed to have been settled as early as 1000 B.C. Though not the largest area of land, it was still the subject of argument between America and Germany. This conflict was solved with a treaty in 1899. The Samoa was divided between the two countries. The US portion has a fantastic harbor of Pago Pago.
ReplyDeleteThe government of the American Samoa is definitely not famous for the organization or success. The government is actually pretty dependent on the United States. It is divided into three districts and two islands. The Governor Togiola Tulafono is there head government leader within the territory itself.
The people of the American Samoa are very religious. The main religion is Christianity, and businesses shut down on Sunday in reverence to the Sabbath. Their people are laid-back. They also show respect by their strong holding to tradition.
The American territories are not something many think about. I personally believe that they will remain territories unless they really desire state ship which is always a possibility. It’s almost a situation where the country with the most land gains power. America has these territories, but I don’t see why anything should or would change unless something of great political or security issues arise.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/aq.html
http://amsamoa.net/
Ben, you mentioned that after the discovery of the land exploration slowed down. I wonder why the citizens would let that happen. If we find new land, yes, we as the people wouldn’t be too interested, but those who desire to learn and make something of the world would not let that massive amount of opportunity dissolve away. I suppose that in those days they did not have the resources or tools we have today that aid in discovery, but that leads to a whole new topic of how far the society has come. We now have the ability to claim and use the new discoveries made.
ReplyDeleteJarred, I didn’t know the United States had so many territories. Yes, we know of the popular such as Puerto Rico, but there are more that not many know about. The territories are parts of our country that we lose. We need to look at these different cultures and groups of people. It’s all really amazing that we could have something close to us with the so different ways of life.
ReplyDeleteAlaska-I know it’s not a territory anymore (duh) but it used to be and Alaska, in my opinion, is one of our most beautiful states so that’s why I chose to do my essay on it.
ReplyDeleteThe United States bought the Alaska territory from Russia for 7.2 million dollars (2 cents an acre!) in 1867. All that land basically remained unpopulated by Americans until the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897, 30 years after the purchase of the territory. Many came to try their luck at finding a fortune but after a while most slowly found their way home. A few remained though and that’s how Alaska first started to gain its American population.
Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959. Its government structure is more or less the same as any other state. One unique difference is instead of having counties, like most states do, Alaska has 16 boroughs which are much larger than regular counties because of the sparse population.
Alaska’s current population is 600,000; compare that to the 36 MILLION people living in California and you can plainly see that Alaska is wildly inhabited. But what they may lack in population they make up for in incredible nature and wildlife. Because most of the residents live on the coast, fishing and other seafood are the main source of income. As you can imagine they don’t play the same sports and other activities we enjoy because of the frigid temperatures. Instead they have their own games that you can’t do many other places in America; for instance, dog-sledding, snow sports, and of course the lumberjack shows.
http://alaska.pinnacle-travel.org/history-culture.htm
http://fairbanks-alaska.com/alaska-history.htm
http://www.questconnect.org/ak_klondike.htm
http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/jason/culture.html
google.com
Puerto Rico
ReplyDeleteChristopher Columbus found Puerto Rico on November 19, 1493 and named it Juan Bautista after of Saint John the Baptist. It later took the name Puerto Rico, or “rich port” in Spanish. The capital was named San Juan. The Spaniards quickly colonized the island and kept it until the Spanish American War. On July 25, 1898, the United States invaded Puerto Rico. When the Spanish American War ended, puerto rico was seceded to the United States as part of the terms.
Puerto Rico started out under military rule of the United States and the governing officials appointed by the president. In 1900 under the Foraker Act, puerto rico was given some rights to self government and established somewhat of a Congress. In 1917, the jones act gave citizenship to puerto ricans. They were later allowed to have a governor and their own constitution.
Puerto Rico has a republican form of government nowadays, but are still subject to US jurisdiction. Their executive branch is lead by their governor. Like the US they have a congress with an upper and lower house. They also have a Supreme Court with their own Chief Justice. They have their own constitution. As we see, their government is like ours in many ways.
I used Wikipedia as my source…
ReplyDeleteI decided to write mine on American Samoa. As we found out in History class the boats in the Pacific Ocean whether trade or government operated where in need of places to fuel-up. So the American government claimed them as territories and set up fueling stations there.
American Samoa was once called Eastern Samoa and the islands it was connected was Western Samoa (now independent Samoa). Their history is extremely extensive it is connected with the histories of the archipelagos of Fiji, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Tokelau and elsewhere in the Pacific.
American Samoa was first colonized by the French during the eighteenth century which resulted in a war in Tutuila and the Samoans were blamed in the Western world and became known for their ferocity. Then again in the 19th century Rarotongan missionaries came to the islands and were followed by missionaries from the London Missionary Society in the 1830s that officially brought Christianity to the natives.
I also found out that in March of 1889 a section of the German navy invade a village in Samoa destroying American property. This caused the Americans to prepare a counter attack. But this was delayed happened because as soon as the arrived in the harbor a typhoon struck demolishing both American and German ships. Because of the fighting the Germans and Americans split the Samoan archipelago and ever since 1962 they have been known as a separate nation, adopting the name The Independent State of Samoa in 1997.
Guam
ReplyDelete1) In 2000 BC it is believed that Guam was first found by poeple migrating from southeastern Indonesia. The first/original people who lived there are also believed to be from Indo-Malaya decent. There culture was much like that of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philipines. However that information is from legneds and myths and others who have studied about Guam in ancient times because it was Pre-Contact.
The first time that there was contact between Guam and Western Europe
we know of for sure was on March 6, 1521. It was made by Ferdinand Magellan who landed his ship along with two others in Umatac Bay. Since Magellan was from Spain he intended to cliam Guam for Spain but it was not officially cliamed Spains unitl 1565 by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. Later after its colonization Christianity was established by Jesuit missionaries. After this the main focus of the village and its activities and such was the Catholic Church.
Guam did not remain a Spanish territory. On June 21, 1898 America captured Guam during the Spanish-American War. Since then Gaum has been an American territory.
2) Guam's current governmental structure is made up of three branches: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. They also have a Federal Court called the U.S. District for the District of Guam. They also have one federal Magistrate in this district. There is also a Superior Court of Guam.
3) The culture of Guam is very neat. They like to dance, navigate the sea, to fish, and they like unique cuisine. They also like games and songs. They also were very gifted in craftsmanship and made many artistic things. Due to so many other influences in culture much of the original culture has been lost and has slowly faded away. The people at the same time have opportunities for higher education. They go from primary and secondary schools up to colleges and universities.
*Wikipedia was my source
Guam
ReplyDeleteGuam is a U.S. territory that was added to the U.S. in 1950. It is divided into eighteen different regions, with its capital being Agana. Guam is the largest of the Mariana Islands; it is influenced with American, Spanish, Ancient Chamorro, and Japanese history. It is unique in many ways, and is rich in culture and tradition.
The legal structure in Guam resembles America's and American federal laws apply. "Becoming an adult" or voting age begins at eighteen, but Guam ciitzens do not vote in US elections. They have an executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government; their chief-of-state being our president Mr. Barack Obama. From there they elect a governor and lieutenant governor and so on. There are two political parties-democrat and republican. And they have no diplomatic representation in the US.
A lot of what happens in Guam is based on and decided by what goes on here in America. Their economy is stimulated by our military and our spending. They use the U.S. dollar. Etc.
Territories are kind of like "fake states." They function somewhat independently, but at the same time rely heavily on the U.S. They have no privileges that U.S. citizens do. I think it's very interesting; I've never really done a whole lot of research into U.S.territories. What I found caught my attention. Honestly, I don't understand it all to know exactly what will be the future of them. In some cases the citizens of these places want to be part of the U.S.; in others they don't. I guess we'll be finding out in the future.
http://americanhistory.about.com/library/charts/blchartterritories.htm
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gq.html
http://beginnersguide.com/guam/
those were my sources...
My Sources.(: &i might have more.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake_Island
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territories_of_the_United_States
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/US_insular_areas.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wake_Island
http://www.theodora.com/wfb/1995/wake_island/wake_island_government.html
A territory of the United States is simply a piece of land that hasn't achieved statehood yet. Our nation started using the territorial system while our borders weren't established. Now we have 50 states plus 14 territories, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Navassa Island, Palmyra Atoll, Kingman Reef, Jarvis Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Wake Island, Midway Islands, Johnston Atoll, Howland Island, Baker Island, and American Somoa.
ReplyDeleteTonight the one that I will share to you would be Wake Island. The reason I chose this is because I never have heard of it before and I thought it would be fun to learn about, then share my findings with you.
Our history on this little atoll starts back in the early 1940's during The Battle of Wake Island, which began right as Pearl Harbor did. The Japanese held this island until September 4, 1945, with the surrendering of the remaining garrison to the United States Marines.
The current Governmental Structure is basically run by the United States Air Force under agreement with the U.S. Department of Interior. They do not have a capital but is administrated from Washington D.C. & the people and culture is really military based. And it is more of a place for our men who fight for our freedom then like a actual state.
American Samoa is a territory that is about 2200 miles southewest of Hawaii,and consists of 3 districts and 2 islands. The first people that settled there are mostly polynesians. They believe that they are created by the god Talgoa while he was creating the world. If you look back into there theory of how the world started it is very similar to that of the Bible. It is not a very populated place now, but it was very popular in the 1770's because of trade.
ReplyDeleteIt became a territory in april of 1900. America fought for the small island against Britain and Germany who also had political reasoning there. It was used mainly as a naval base and coaling station. until about the 1960's nothing cultural had changed until Kennedy went in and basically made it a construction project. From then on American samoans started to modrnize. Even though it is not a state it is still a valuble part of America.
American samoans has a bicameral legislature known as Fono. They vote for there governers and got to write there own constituition. It is also administered by the Office of Insular Affairs of The Department of th Interior.They also have the same basic parties like America. The main ones ore republican and democrat.
some of my souurces were:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/aq.html
http://americansamoa.gov/
Puerto Rico was primarily discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Christopher Columbus also made a second trip to Puerto Rico in 1493. Then the Spanish basically took over and set up their own little form of government and dealt with internal issues at hand. On July 25, 1898 (The Spanish American War) the United States invaded Puerto Rico and the Treaty of Paris 1899 gave America Puerto Rico as well as several other territories. (The Philippines, Cuba, and Guam)
ReplyDeletePuerto Rico is a republican government governed by a governor that the citizens elect. They have a bi-cameral house just like us. They decided to draft a Constitution was ratified by U.S. Congress in 1952.
As far as their culture, there are people from all over there so there are actually two efficacies languages spoken there. Primarily, Spanish. Secondarily, English. By far, the national religion there is Roman Catholicism. Although other religions are represented there, that one is the one that is most predominate and goes farther back for that territory. Roman Catholicism is deeply bred into their history.
As far as their future, I don’t entirely know how to answer that question. This isn’t really an educated opinion, but I don’t see them playing a large role in anything. I think that people realize they exist but overall they’re tucked away in the back of Americans’ minds. However, I think that some of the territories have beautiful land and will therefore flourish as tourist attracting areas.
The United States Of America has fourteen territories. Puerto Rico is one of them. In July 25, 1898 while the Spanish American war was going on, The United States of America invaded Puerto Rico, ans Spain ceded with Puerto Rico along with the Phillipines Guam, and Cuba, to the United States under the Treaty of Paris. In 1917 the Jones Act gave Puerto Ricans the right to become American citizens. Tsunamis, earthquakes seven hurricanes and The Great Depression impoverished Puerto Rico in the first years while under U.S. control. Some of the Puerto Rican political leaders would demand change. On March 21 1937, a group was organized in south Ponce by a group called the Puerto Rican nationalist Party, who resembled United States national Guard, and killed 19 people and badly wounded over 200. it has been known as The Ponce massacre. In the 1950's Puerto Rico went through rapid industrialization, and attempt to change Puerto Ricos economy from an agricultural to manufacturing. Puerto Rico is now a large tourist attraction and is a leader in pharmaceutical manufacturer. Puerto Ricans culture is a mix between four. African, tainos, Spanish, And newly added North America. Much of Puerto Ricans culture is based around the influence of music.
ReplyDeleteJessica, you did a great job on your essay. The first contact thing was smart, I think Mr. Akers will like it. I also think that it is sad how after the influence of the world the people have faded away from the traditions of their ancestors.
ReplyDeleteThat is one thing I hope that Americans never lose, their identity. To Americans, our identity is our ancestry. If you don’t know where your family is from then I encourage everyone to find out. Its not just fun and interesting but where you came from. And in doing this you might find some pretty interesting stuff.
Last year I did some research on my family tree and I found something that amazed and scared me. I found out that my great great great uncle was either murdered ro had committed suicide. The investigators thought that it was more than likely murder though, because he had no legitimate reason to kill himself.
Now, you tell me that isn’t interesting.
Sam Wier, cool essay. You chose one of those small territories with no real government or culture...so did I. But yours has actually had stuff of significance happen on it and Wake Island actually serves a purpose... unlike Navassa Island. Your post was cool, though, and I hadn't really heard of Wake Island before I read it. I wonder why the Japanese did invade it? It is rather small, and the US didn't really need it that much, but I guess the location was pretty good. I have no idea though, I didn't research the island. It was an interesting essay.
ReplyDeleteAshley, I liked your post. I learned several things about Alaska like when and how it was discovered. I never knew that there were so many natives there, and eighty three languages is a lot of languages. It must be pretty confusing. Alaska is huge compared to the rest of the states. One would wonder why they didn't split it into two when it became a state, but i guess it is because it just has so few people.
ReplyDeleteGood job on your essay, Colby. I had heard some about the U.S Virgin Islands prior to reading your essay, but not much. Without looking on a map I wouldn’t know that they were located east of Puerto Rico between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.I also didn’t know that before the u/S/ bought it it was owned by England and then Denmark. That’s interesting that even though they have a government structure similar to that of a state in the U.S. mainland they have their own governor but cannot participate in presidential elections. I imagine it would be pretty there, a fun place to vacation.
ReplyDeleteCharity, I thought your essay was interesting. I decided I had to read it, after seeing how many sources you used I figured it must be worthwhile to read. So I read it and once again. I learned some things I did not know. That’s one good thing about us having to comment on other peoples’ essays, I guess. So anyway, I can not say that I have heard of the Wake Island either. I also didn’t know that there was a battle with it involved that started the same time as Pearl Harbor. So the Japanes owned it, but now the U.S do and it serves to be more like a station for our military men than an actual state. That’s cool.
ReplyDeleteJarred, good essay. It's true that I didn't know about The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and I thought the ratio of men to women was quiet odd cause it's usually the other way around. I just wanted to congratulate you in succeeding to educate someone (aka, me).
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was quite interesting how they where owned by Spain then Germany than Japan the USA. I think it would be hard as a people to go through that many governmental changes. Because if you really think about the countries listed above there are many variances...
the american samoas is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean.its most populated island is Tutuila but the Manuʻa Islands Rose Atoll and Swains Island are also part of this US territory. American Samoa is part of the Samoan Islands chain it can be found west of the Cook Islands and north of Tonga.
ReplyDeletePeople born in American Samoa are American nationals but are not American citizens unless either their mom or dad is a US citizen. As US nationals American Samoans may not vote in US presidential elections. but American Samoans are entitled to free and unrestricted entry into the United States.Samoans are entitled to elect one nonvoting delegate to the United States House of Representatives. They have had the same democratic delegate since 1989.
their realigion is made up of many different realigons but its mostly christian. for thier sports they have many in the NFL and in wrestling.
i see in the future that US territories will have the same rights as regular states. because everyday they become a bigger part of our country
Jessica, good essay. I thought it was odd how Ferdinand Magellan claimed the islands in 1521 but Spain didn’t officially claim it until 1565 when it was again found but this time by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. I also think that it’s quiet odd how America claims to go to war with other countries to “liberate” the countries that the enemy holds hostage (more or less) yet sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way we hope it would or at least think it should. I think that in some cases that it’s for the best because we are known as a humanitarian country and we do care for the well-being of people. Yet I think we try too hard to fix the world’s problems when there are people still at home that need help.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTyler, your essay was not bad but it was very short. It did not go very in depth and did not explain everything. You also could have rearranged the order in which you said things. It being inhabited by Indians should have gone before it being captured by Spain and then the US. However, your summary of the government was pretty good for how short it was.
ReplyDeleteVanessa, you did a very good job of presenting the information and directly answering the questions of the assignment. It is clear and concise where you answered each of the questions. Also, you did not leave anything important out and thoroughly explained everything.
ReplyDeleteGuam is a wonderful overseas possession of the United states. Its a small island in the pacific and was used during World War Two as a forward base for our pacific troops. The island alone is very small and while a territory it takes care of most of its own government needs. Guam was given to the United States in the Treaty of Paris Dec. 10, 1898. After being set free from Japanese rule during World War 2 Guam was largely owned by the military. To this day our Federal Government owns 1/3 of Guam's land.
ReplyDeleteAlex your essay was very interesting! I had no idea about any of the Puerto Rican history. The fact the Puerto Rico was impoverished by the great depression. Not only that but the island was ravaged by tsunamis, Hurricanes, and earthquakes.
ReplyDeleteGuffey your essay was interesting. I enjoy how our government purchased Alaska for such a small price. With so much land and a buffer from Russia along with natural resources Alaska is a veritable gold mine. It was an excellent buy.
ReplyDeleteCody, your essay was pretty interesting. I knew nothing about the American Samoas before I read your essay. It’s somewhat sad how little we know about American territories. It’s cool how similar they are to our country. They have a bicameral legislature, they vote for governors, and they have their own little Constitution. I see that they’re main parties are even republicans and democrats. I also didn’t have any idea that Kennedy visited it and modernized it. Solid essay, Cody.
ReplyDeletejeremy...ur essay was pretty good. i had a couple questions tho... first what is the difference between an american nationalist and an american citizen. and second if you are born on the islands and only one of ur parents is an american citizen, is the new born an american citizen? as for your statement about the future, i think thats ever so true. everyday those territories are getting more representation in the gov't system here in the US of A. its a good start to getting the same rights. good essay tho
ReplyDeletetylerM....i agree with robbie. ur essay was short but very good for the amount you have written, other than the out of orderness. but the description of the govt was pretty good.
ReplyDeleteMadyson, your essay was cool. Once again, just like the American Samoas, I know nothing about Guam. I think it’s kind of interesting that it’s separated into eighteen different regions. So it’s bigger than I would have thought it was before. Also, you are right that territories are like fake states. They are not states, but they rely on the US heavily in many ways. Like you said, they use our dollar.
ReplyDeleteSam I never said that Troy Polamalu was born in American Samoa. You are right he was not born there but he is of American Samoan heritage. So I did not fail as you said. You simple misinterpreted what was intended. So Sam you fail.
ReplyDeleteAshley Glass, first I would Like to tell you good job on your four fouls in the first half of the basketball game Saturday. Good job. Next is your essay. It was really good. I think that it is sad that only fifteen percent of the population is Alaskan native. It is cool how so many languages are spoken in the state. Since it has no extremely large cities like New York or Los Angeles this is even more suprising.
ReplyDeleteEmily, I would like to tell you good job on the essay. I really like the part about the argument that happened between the Germans and the Americans. In my research I did not find any thing about the treaty. I was wondering what site you found that on.
ReplyDeleteJeremy,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know people in the Samoans were American nationals, and they could only be citizens if their parent(s) were. That's kind of interesting. The fact they have total access to the US is also neat. They aren't considered U.S. citizens, but they're allowed to come into our country whenever.
Jarred, cool essay. I have honestly never even heard of that territory, although you would think most people would have since it has over 90,000 people which is quite a bit. I like that fact, I'm not sure who gets the better end of the deal on that one, but I would assume the men.
ReplyDeleteSam, that is pretty cool that they are a day ahead us. I'm sure not many people new Wake Island was actually attacked on December 8, 1941. I was thinking about writing about Wake Island, but it seems as if it is a pretty laid back place. It's cool that is is still a military base, though.
ReplyDeleteSo Rachel Guffey,
ReplyDeleteI learned from your essay that Alaska has boroughs. That's cool. I wish Kentucky had boroughs. But why are they called boroughs? Why not call them "extremely large counties." Also, you said something I already knew but still find to be amazing-we got Alaska for two cents an acre. That is crazy. Good job on your essay. :)
Charity i thought your essay was but interresting. I had no idea there was in island called Wake Island. Kinda cool what you can learn in a short essay. So i not only learned that Wake island exists but also learned its sorta a Air Force base for American Air Force. Pretty cool. Good job !!!
ReplyDeleteCody i thought it was kinda cool how you mentioned their belief of how the world began and how it is like the Bible. I didnt know that. actually i dont know much about the American Samoas period. it makes sense that its not very populated you dont here much about it.
ReplyDeleteColby,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your essay response. The Virgin Islands is a very interesting pick. I knew that they were discover by Christopher Columbus but I didn’t know that they were owned by both England and Denmark. Also the price for the islands was relatively low, twenty five million is not very much for a stretch of islands. I find it intriguing that they are pretty much just like a state, with a governer but they are ruled by our president and government.
Cody Dane’t,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your essay a lot also. America Samoa is a very good choice in this essay. I liked the facts you had about the people and their religion. It surprised me that their religion was that similar to that of our Bible. I did not know that we actually fought Great Britain and Germany to get this piece of land. And the fact that it was used as a naval base is pretty cool.
Morgan,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your essay. Even though you did the same topic as I did, you helped bring out many important minute details that I left out. For instance, I did not know or see in my research that Germany bought the islands from Spain. Knowing Germany's track record, I just assumed that they marched in one day and took the islands by force. You obviously showed that this was not the case. I also enjoyed how you went into the Governmental structure of the Islands. I think it is interesting how they have a clone to the U.S.'s congressional setup and totally govern themselves, but still answer to the U.S. when it comes to major matters. And on a final note, I like how you brought up the culture of the islands. I find it strange that the people are religious, respective, and proud of their heritage. It seems that they are the polar opposite of what our nation is becoming these days.
Maxwell, I enjoyed reading about Guam. It's great learning about the different places in the world that have had so much diversed history.
ReplyDeleteFirst the southeastern Indonesians coming and occuping it. Then in 1521, Ferdinand Magellan for the Spanish Kingdom. 1898 brought Spain to surrender it to the United States of America during the Treaty of Paris. Japan came and plundered not the land, but the people. July 21, 1944 brought it back again under the control of America. I trust that under our care we can bring value to the people and not be greedy by taking from them.
Ashley, I never thought about a state being a territory but I guess Alaska does qualify. I've heard that Russians do have an influence and left their thumb print on the Alaska territory. There is even a fort in California that is a Russian fort that the trappers that would come and trap otter and seal would live. The price that America paid for Alaska was such a great deal, especially during the cold war. I can't imagine having Russia so close by without it being dangerous. It was a very wise move on the part of our government.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_rico
Ashley, good essay! I didn’t know that there were 83 languages spoken in Alaska. I bet that can get bothersome at times. It is a little disappointing that there are so few natives still living in Alaska.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I often forget that Puerto Rico is a US territory; your essay was very informative. I never would have known the island was discovered by Columbus or originally named after Paul. Good Job.
Madyson, I had no idea Guam is influenced by so many different cultures. I find it a little odd how few differences there are between territories and states. Good essay =]
Madyson, so I thought I'd be nice, since you say it's so good for my soul, and comment on your essay. I thought your essay was really good. I hadn't really done any research on U.S. territories either so I didn't really know much about them but I found this assingment to be very interesting. Reading yours I learned some new things that I think are interesting. Like about not being able to vote in a U.S. election because it's just a U.S. territory. I already knew that but I looked it up and if person is a citizen of the U.S. and they live in a U.S. territory they can still vote. I just found that pretty cool. And again good job Mady!!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on this one, guys! I enjoyed reading your essays.
ReplyDeleteFor my territory I am Picking the Virgin Islands. The Virgin Islands which is located east of Puerto Rico. They were first discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. It was claimed by England and Denmark for about two-hundred and fifty years, and in this time the Danish government signed a treaty with the Dutch to allow Brandenburg American Company to set up a slave trading post. Until 1917 when the United States bought it from the Dutch for $25 million in order to gain a good military position during World War I. And later were granted US citizenship in 1927.
ReplyDeleteAlthough not a US state use the same system of government. Although they are US citizen they can not vote in presidential elections. But they do vote on a governor every four years since 1970.
The culture in the Virgin Islands are not much different than that of the mainland United States. And have many of the same things we have in America. The tourism is the major economical factor, as it supplies many jobs. The official language is English but from immigrants Spanish and French are both widely spoken.
http://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/history/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Virgin_Islands
I liked what David said. Hawaii is the most recent state to get statehood. Since I have been there I can appropriately say that it is well worth its statehood. You can only go 22 miles away from the beach in Hawaii. There is this small Island off the coast of Kauai that is privately owned. The counties in Hawaii are named for the Islands. It is a very interesting place. I got to tour this old Russian fort built in the 1800’s, and you can’t forget about Pearl Harbor. It was just a perfect trip.
ReplyDeleteSam, I thought your essay was really cool especially when you mentioned that they are one day ahead of us. I honestly didn't even know that Wake Island was a US territory. I also didn't know about how it was attacked during World War II. And i thought about it and it seem pretty weird that it has no form of government. Over all it was a very interesting topic.
ReplyDeleteI liked what Jarred said. You’re right. There are a lot of unfamous territories. They are not very famous because Tourism is not as prevalent as it is in other territories. In other words, people don’t know about it because it isn’t advertized. If tourism was abundant, you would hear about it each time you flip to the travel channel.
ReplyDeleteJake, I thought your essay was pretty good and very interesting. Like the part about Magellan stopping there on his journey around the world and then Spain tryin to settle there and all. I just found it all very interesting because I didn't really know much about U.S. territories before now. Good job Jake!
ReplyDeleteAshley, I liked your essay on Alaska. I knew it had been bought from Russia and everything. But I didn't how the Russians got there, truly it was very interesting to read.But when i read that there are some eighty-three languages I was blown away. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteOh and on that last question i believe that The Virgin Islands will continue to be a US territory and still remain a tourist hot spot.
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ReplyDeleteNot being crude,honestly, but an interesting name none the less. The Virgin Islands, one of the smallest territories owned by the U.S. was little known to me before researching it. As far as size it's a little over 133 sq. miles. As of the 2000 census the population was that of 108,612 people.
ReplyDeleteThe Virgin Islands were named by Christopher Columbus in 1493 during his second voyage[to the islands?]. But, it wasn't until much, much later that the United States actually purchased this territory from Denmark. They were originally purchased because the U.S. feared that Germany take them by force for a military base. But, all their base are belong to us now... scum.
They seem a lot like a miniature American city in a way. Except the fact that seven out of ten people are black. Regardless, a whopping 25% of houses have no present father. Now, that's America.
I believe this territory has a bright future ahead of it. All seems well in The Virgin Islands. I wonder if it's a big deal when white officials get elected there? Who knows..
Sam,
ReplyDeleteI'm aware this comment does not deserve full credit, but lololololololololol! You lit Camden up. Sadly, the steelers have lost to the Bengals.. :( Anywho. I had no idea that Wake had no real civilians. It kinda makes sense though. Bases dont really have just random people living on them. And for good reason: that would present a huge security threat. Semper Fi
Mr Akers,
ReplyDeleteHow many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop? Lets find out.
It takes approximately 467 licks.
Yes, that may have seemed random but it's not. Are goods like "tootsie pops" or anything else for that matter taxed to be imported from the U.S.?
Xalo, I liked your essay. I think, being half Puerto Rican, you have an interesting point-of-view. The history of Puerto Rico is very interesting! I liked hearing about the revolt of the natives; stories like that are so interesting to me. The way so many cultures were introduced there is amazing. The one thing I disagree on is that I think many territories will not become states. Some have been offered statehood and didn’t receive enough votes from the citizens for it to be enacted.
ReplyDeleteJarred, first I’d like to say, lucky men! I agree with you that so many of our territories live in complete anonymity in the continental U.S. I’m not sure why either, but I do disagree on you when you say you think many territories will become states for political reasons. Territories can become states at anytime; it just takes work, lots of work and red tape. In the past we’ve been pretty lenient with making territories to states, but I think that’s changed(ing?). Political parties don’t rely on location anymore so politicians can’t be sure of the party the territory will most likely vote for.
oh and in my essay I used
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmyra_Atoll
and
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/countrytemplate_um.html
Guffey I liked your essay very much. Just imagine, 2 cents per acre, i think Russia got ripped off, well then again in was in the 1800's. Alaskas population is very small compared to almost all of the states in America. You are right, Alaska is probobly one the most beautiful states in America, and the wildlife there is huge. Fishing and other seafood are the main source of income, and the sports are way different. Instead of car races they probably sit around and watch dogs pull people around racing.
ReplyDeleteJ Byrd i enjoyed reading your essay about Navassa island. It seems to me that the island is very unimportant and is very uninhabited. And other than being a Fish and Wildlife reservation, it is pretty unimportant. And although Haiti fisherman set up camp there occasionally, the island should probably be nuked, Or turned into a hunting and fishing resort.
ReplyDeleteMichael Harrell,
ReplyDeleteYour essay was quite interesting.
What you said as your closing statement,
"I see Puerto Rico becoming more and more inhabited with North Americans and eventually see it becoming its own country."
It will probably become its own country, so i agree with you on that.
Puerto Rico reminds me of our country. How it is mixed with several different ethnicity's and we just all come together and its all mixed together. And you say that there music is a big deal there, well our nation basically lives on music and McDonalds. lol so you can look at Puerto Rico and see the beginning stages as our country had. And they soon will become there own country.
Jeremy,
ReplyDeleteI was reading your essay and I have found my self quite intrigued with the rights that these people have within there territory's. I believe that if there part of our country then they should have the same rights. I don't get why they aren't considered United States citizens but are claimed by the US. That's stupid, its like not giving them rights at all. So you can see this makes me mad. But anyways if the United States claims these territories then they should grant them with the same rights.
Sam that is pretty amazing that their time is a day in front of us.i had no idea that the new Wake Island was actually attacked. it seems this place is much more interesting than the one i did mine on lol. but it sounds really cool. we should take a class trip there.
ReplyDeleteryan i had no clue that it took that many licks to get to the center of a tootsie pop. im pretty excited to hear that cause ever since i was a young lad, just a lil tike i saw that comercial and that howl made me so mad because he only made it to three. and i was in suspence to find out. but no, no the howl was a jerk and left me hanging and in agony for years. but u have just put my mind to rest and i will finally get some sleep tonight for the first time since i was just a lad, just a lil tike. thank you man
ReplyDeleteMorgan,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated the sheer amount of information you gave in your report. It was very neatly organized, which made reading it even more enjoyable. The specifics you provided about each topic, from the history and governmental structure to the culture and people were very informative and interesting. The Chomorros life sounds very intriguing! I loved the wording in which you described them as “passionate by nature.” It makes sense that they would be involved in arts and creativity. Very nicely done.
Ben,
First of all, very well written and a pleasure to read. Your writing style is informative, yet keeps the contents of your thoughts alive. You did well in exhibiting the history of the island and in educating me on some of the more unique points. For example, I was actually somewhat surprised to learn that English was the primary language of almost 75% of the population. Also, I found it very notable that the residents could vote in the primaries but not the actual election. I wonder why that is?
I chose the US Virgin Islands.
ReplyDeleteTHe islands are three main islands and several small islands surounding it. It was originally settled by natives in the carribean and was first descovered by Europeans in 1493 and named by CHristopher Columbus. THough descovered by CHristopher Columbus it was controled by several magor european countries. Spain, England, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The Danish-west india company bought the virgin islands and united them, the islands became Danish colonies in 1754. during the 18th and 19th centuries slave labor fueled the sugarcane industry on the islands. however, in 1848 slavery was abolished and the Virgin islands became unviable for industry for the rest of Danish rule. at the beginning of World War I, the united states purchased the islands. THe united states feared submarine attacks on the atlantic coast if the islands were to be captured by the germans. From that point on the United states owned and does own the Virgin Islands and they are now officially known and The Virgin Islands of the United States.
THough the Virgin islands is a official territory and the people of the virgin islands are U.S. citizens they are not allowed to participate in presidential elections. however, citizens of the virgin islands are allowed to vote in the primaries of both major political parties. THe islands elect members from to represent their congressional distric in congress but these representatives have no vote in congress. WIthin the territory there are 15 senators that are elected to the unicameral government of the islands.
AS of 2000 there are 108,612 people on the islands. the islands consist of many different and unique races, but primarly there are about 75% of the population that is african american due to the slave labor that occured for several centuries. there is about 13% white and & percent other. THe people speak officially english but many speak spanish and french creole due to the mass amounts of immagration and former world powers that occupied the islands. the people of the Islands are mostly Christian and there are many many different variations of prtestant and catholic churches. over all the people of the United STates Virgin islands are very divers in orgin and history and are a modern spctical of a "little America" the islands are interesting in their vast history of multiple occupations and sounds like a fun place to visit.
ashley i think your essay was very ionteresting and points out avery cool point about alaska and the Russian print that was left, it was a very interesting essay that was very well thought out and over all very interesting.
ReplyDeletebiggin i enjoyed your essay and thought your closing statement was very interesting and i have to say i agree that if north americans and others continue to move to Puerto Rico it may very well become and country or atleast a state, i think its thought provoking and is actualy quite reasonable to think that its possible for Puerto rico to one day become a state or a country. your essay was very good and i really enjoyed it. maybe this will turn into a class discusion at some poin, id be interested to see what all hte class thought about the future of Puerto RIco. Awesome essay!
ReplyDeleteJakob I enjoyed reading your essay. I thought it was well put together and had good information in it. I found it very interesting that Puerto Rico's culture was a combination of four cultures. I also thought that it was neat that what we know about Puerto Rico's history comes from archeological discoveries and early spanish accounts.
ReplyDeleteColby, I liked your essay and thought that it was odd that the Virgin Islands follow our government and everything yet do not participate in presidential elections. You would think that since they are apart of the US that they would have a say in who our president is I mean they abide by the laws and rules that he puts into practice but they don't. I also have to agree with you that I tend to forget that these places are apart of the US as well. And yes many of them are very beautiful places.
ReplyDeleteIm doing my assignement on Guam....
ReplyDeleteGuam was discovered by people of Southeast Indonessia. Most of what is known about Guam comes from legends and myths, archaeological evidence, Jesuit missionary accounts, and observations from visiting scientists like Otto von Kotzebue and Louis de Freycinet.
Guam is governed by a popularly elected governor and a unicameral 15-member legislature.U.S. citizens in Guam vote in a straw poll for their choice in the U.S. Presidential general election, but since Guam has no votes in the Electoral College, the poll has no real effect. However, in sending delegates to the Republican and Democratic national conventions.
Traditional Chamorro culture is visually manifested in dance, sea navigation, unique cuisine, fishing, games (such as batu, chonka, estuleks, and bayogu), songs and fashion influenced by the immigration of peoples from other lands. Spanish policy during colonial rule (1668-1898) was one of conquest and conversion to Roman Catholicism. This led to the gradual elimination of Guam's male warriors and displacement of the Chamorro people from their lands.
I see the future of US terrritores to become more wanting to be part of the US and want the same government system and advantages we have. This is what i see as the future for US territories
Ashley...
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your essay on Alaska and i loved how you put the facts in about Russia. I really enjoyed you essay and all the hardwork you put into it..
Sam....
ReplyDeleteI like how you picked a very interesting territory i had no idea wake was a US territiory. I also never knew that it was attacked or that there time is so much different than ours. I really enjoyed your essay and thought it was well thought out...