Context of Islands

The context of how American Samoans are not American citizens

Cover for the The context of how American Samoans are not American citizens podcast episode, with a computer monitor showing the article, the featured image the context of islands title. [https://pasquines.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Context-American-Samoans-citizens-768x768.png]American Samoa is the only permanently inhabited unorganized US territory, meaning it remains under the total control of the President and lacks an official organic act from Congress, despite attempts to pass one. We trace the islands’ history from their strategic value for Western vessels to the 1899 Tripartite Convention that divided the Samoan archipelago between Germany and […]

The context of how the US Virgin Islands are constitution-less

Cell phone showing "The US Virgin Islands are constitution-less" article, with the context of islands slogan, and a picture of the US and USVI flags. [https://pasquines.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Context-US-Virgin-Islands-Constitution-less-768x768.png]The United States Virgin Islands have a unique and challenging constitutional status as an unincorporated territory acquired from Denmark in 1917. While the territory has a self-sufficient governmental structure similar to a US state, it lacks its own constitution and is not fully protected by the US Constitution due to rulings in the Insular Cases. These historical Supreme Court decisions, based […]

The context of how America’s day begins in Guam

Laptop showing the Pasquines article 'America's day begins in Guam,' with the context of islands tagline, and a picture of a flag being raised at dawn in Guam. [https://pasquines.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Context-Americas-Day-Guam-768x768.png]Guam is a United States territory with deep historical ties and an undeniable strategic significance for American military power projection in the Pacific. Its citizens are American, and its culture is heavily influenced by the military, yet they lack the full federal political rights afforded to citizens in the states. This creates a complex dynamic […]

The context of how Puerto Rico is not an island

Tablet showing the Puerto Rico is not an island with the cover picture, and the context of islands tagline. [https://pasquines.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Context-Puerto-Rico-island-768x768.png]Most people think of Puerto Rico as a single island—but it’s actually an archipelago made up of over 140 islands, including the often-overlooked Culebra and Vieques. In our first episode, we dive into the geography, history, and political importance of these smaller islands, exploring how their experiences with US military occupation, protest, and neglect mirror […]