Guam eyes end to US colonial rule

I think that it would be nice to see all of the US territories become states. I don't know why we keep them as we do.

I am thankful that Guam is not pushing to become a state SGT (Join to see) and that they are considering independence as a viable option.
The majority of the 5 inhabited US territories were generally acquired when we won the Spanish American War. They [Puerto Rico, Philippines, and Guam were while the Northern Marinas Islands were ceded after WWII] had been Spanish colonies until December 10, 1898, when the Treaty of Paris which ended the Spanish–American War was signed.
"Of the five populated territories in the United States, four of them have passed an Organic Act and are organized territories. They are (with date of organization):
Puerto Rico, 1900
Virgin Islands, 1936 [purchased from Denmark]
Guam, 1950
Northern Marinas Islands, 1978 [After the Spanish-American war, the islands were ceded to Germany, not the United States. In WWI, Japan declared war on Germany and used it as a pretext to invade and take over the islands. The islands were liberated during the Battle of Saipan in WWII, one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific Theater.]
Citizens of all of the above territories are US Citizens, however they cannot vote in federal elections. They each have a representative in congress, which cannot vote on the floor but may vote in committee.
The remaining US territories are all unorganized:
American Samoa (Pacific)
Palmyra Atoll (Pacific)
Baker Island (Pacific)
Howland Island (Pacific)
Jarvis Island (Pacific)
Johnston Atoll (Pacific)
Kingman Reef (Pacific)
Midway Islands (Pacific)
Wake Island (Pacific)
Bajo Nuevo Bank (Caribbean)
Navassa Island (Caribbean)
Serranilla Bank (Caribbean)
All of the unorganized territories except for American Samoa are uninhabited and have never had any permanent human population.

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
In 1947 the United Nations created Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) from former Japanese possessions given to them by a League of Nations Mandate. The TTPI existed from 1947 to 1986 when the constituent islands began to seek independence. The above mentioned Northern Marinas Islands is the only part of the TTPI which is still a US territory.

The Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands are best known as the location of many atomic bomb tests in the 40’s and 50’s on places like Bikini and Enewetak Atolls.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) was declared in 1979 and the country entered a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1986. The compact is a unique agreement that the United States has with the former TTPI countries where they have access to many programs which are normally reserved for US citizens. For example, the Marshall Islands has mail delivered to it at US domestic postal rates. It has its own USPS state and zip code. (MH and 969xx). They can also work in the US without a green card.

Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) consists of four island groups: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae. Like the Marshall Islands, the FSM declared independence in 1979 and signed a compact of Free Association with the US in 1986. The FSM compact of free association also gives Micronesians access to US services and aid.

Palau
By population and area, Palau is the smallest of the former TTPI countries. With a population of only 20,000 people and area of 459 km2, it is one of the smallest countries in the world.
Palau declared independence in 1981 and signed their compact of free association with the US in 1994. Palau’s location combined with some of the best SCUBA diving in the world has given it a per capita GDP almost 4x greater than the other former TTPI countries."
http://everything-everywhere.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-territories-of-the-united-states/
Thanks for alerting me SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas

I assume they vote in it. Just like Puerto Rico. We took posession of Quam after the Spanish American war. It had nothing to do with colonialism.