CULTURE AND HISTORY The original Guamanians were known as Chamorros, a brownskinned, black-haired Polynesian-related people whose life revolved around the sea. They were a proud, happy, and fiercely independent race, living in small settlements with no one ruling chief. It is believed that they were of the same stock that populated the scattered islands of Micronesia in pre-historic migrations from Southeastern Asia by way of Indonesia. Guam was discovered in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan and thereafter came under Spanish rule. Originally called "Ladrones," the islands of the Marianas were renamed in 1688 in honor of the Queen of Spain, Maria Ana. In that same year, Spanish missionaries landed on Guam. After a short period of cooperation and coexistence with the Spaniards, the Chamorros revolted. The ensuing conflicts resulted in the near annihilation of the Chamorros, in particular, the male population. Subsequent intermarriage between Spaniards and Chamorros gave rise to the modern Guamanian race and culture. Until the 19th century, Spain used Guam as a port for its trade with the Philippines. But as Spain's empire declined, Guam was utilized primarily as a penal colony. At the end of the Spanish-American War, Guam was ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Paris in 1898. Shortly after the start of the Second World War, Japan invaded Guam and remained on the island until dislodged by American forces in 1944. From 1898 until 1950, responsibility for the administration of Guam rested with the United States Navy, when it was then transferred to the Department of the Interior. Until 1970, the Governor of Guam was appointed by the President of the United States. In that year, as the result of legislation passed by the Congress and signed into law on September 11, 1968, Guam held its first popular elections for Governor and Lieutenant Governor. In addition, since 1972, Guamanians have been represented in the United States House of Representatives by an elected nonvoting delegate. The Department of the Interior continues to serve as the liaison agency between the Guamanian and American governments. CLIMATE AND TOPOGRAPHY Guam's climate is pleasant, with temperatures ranging between 72 and 88 degrees, but with a rather high humidity. An annual precipitation of about 70 inches of rain falls mostly between June and November. Because it is in the typhoon belt, Guam is occasionally struck by severe storms. Lush tropical flora cover the island on its lower levels. Coconut palms, banana and breadfruit trees, as well as rubber trees grow in dense thickets along the white sand of the shore. At higher elevations, the land is more arid, resembling America's southwest and dotted with small pines and sword grass. The coast line of the northern half of the island is rugged and deeply indented. Steep cliffs rise abruptly from the ocean to elevations of 600 feet, where the land levels off into a smooth plateau. The southern half of the island consists of rolling terrain, with a range of hills on the western coast which rise from 700 to over 1,300 feet in elevation. Animals native to the island include two species of fruit bat and some lizards. In addition, since the days of Spanish settlement of the island, various types of domesticated animals and livestock have existed on Guam. GUAM TODAY Guam today is an American community, with a stable political environment, and one of the fastest growing economies in the Pacific. Its proximity to the major trade and population centers of Asia plays a major role in its development as a port facility and has resulted in an economic boom for the island. Proudly boasting that Guam is where "America's Day Begins," Guamanians eagerly stand ready to meet the future. Most of the rubble occasioned by the devastation of war has disappeared, and the island is dotted with growing metropolitan areas of modern buildings and busy shops, crisscrossed by a network of fine highways, and served by the modern convenience of contemporary western civilization. But the cultural roots of their Chamorro ancestors still retain a strong hold on the people of Guam. And the influences of other heritages Spanish, Japanese, South Seas, and Filipino-are visible and vibrant in contemporary Guamanian society. ORGANIC ACT OF GUAM (Act of August 1, 1950, 64 Stat: 384, as amended to January 3, 1973) AN ACT To provide a civil government for Guam, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the “Organic Act of Guam." SEC. 2. The territory ceded to the United States in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Peace between the United States and Spain, signed at Paris, December 10, 1898, and proclaimed April 11, 1899, and known as the island of Guam in the Mariana Islands, shall continue to be known as Guam.1 SEC. 3. Guam is hereby declared to be an unincorporated territory of the United States and the capital and seat of government thereof shall be located at the city of Agana, Guam. The government of Guam shall have the powers set forth in this Act, shall have power to sue by such name, and, with the consent of the legislature evidenced by enacted law, may be sued upon any contract entered into with respect to, or any tort committed incident to, the exercise by the government of Guam of any of its lawful powers. The government of Guam shall consist of three branches, executive, legislative, and judicial, and its relations with the Federal Government in all matters not the program responsibility of another Federal department or agency, shall be under the general administrative supervision of the Secretary of the Interior." SEC. 4. [Repealed ']. CITIZENSHIP BILL OF RIGHTS SEC. 5. (a) No law shall be enacted in Guam respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of their grievances. (b) No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. (c) The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no warrant for arrest or search shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the person or things to be seized. (d) No person shall be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of punishment; nor shall he be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself. (e) No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. (f) Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation. (g) In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to a speedy and public trial; to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation and to have a copy thereof; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense. (h) Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. (i) Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in Guam. (j) No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be enacted. (k) No person shall be imprisoned for debt. (1) The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless, when in cases of rebellion or invasion or imminent danger thereof, the public safety shall require it. 1 Codified, 48 U.S.C. 1421. 2 As amended by Acts of September 21, 1959, 73 Stat. 588, and September 11, 1968, 382 Stat. 847. Codified, 48 U.S.C. 1421a. 280. Repealed by the Immigration and Nationality Act of June 27, 1952, sec. 403, 66 Stat. (m) No qualification with respect to property, income, political opinion, or any other matter apart from citizenship, civil capacity, and residence shall be imposed upon any voter. (n) No discrimination shall be made in Guam against any person on account of race, language, or religion, nor shall the equal protection of the laws be denied. (0) No person shall be convicted of treason against the United States unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. (p) No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, supplied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution, or association, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary as such. (q) The employment of children under the age of fourteen years in any occupation injurious to health or morals or hazardous to life or limb is hereby prohibited. (r) There shall be compulsory education for all children, between the ages of six and sixteen years. (s) No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the government of Guam. (t) No person who advocates, or who aids or belongs to any party, organization, or association which advocates the overthrow by force or violence of the government of Guam or of the United States shall be qualified to hold any public office of trust or profit under the government of Guam. (u) The following provisions of and amendments to the Constitution of the United States are hereby extended to Guam to the extent that they have not been previously extended to that territory and shall have the same force and effect there as in the United States or in any State of the United States: article I, section 9, clauses 2 and 3; article IV, section 1 and section 2, clause 1; the first to ninth amendments inclusive; the thirteenth amendment; the second sentence of section 1 of the fourteenth amendment; and the fifteenth and nineteenth amendments. All laws enacted by Congress with respect to Guam and all laws enacted by the territorial legislature of Guam which are inconsistent with the provisions of this subsection are repealed to the extent of such inconsistency. THE EXECUTIVE SEC. 6. The executive power of Guam shall be vested in an executive officer whose official title shall be the 'Governor of Guam'. The Governor of Guam, together with the Lieutenant Governor, shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast by the people who are qualified to vote for the members of the Legislature of Guam. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be chosen jointly, by the casting by each voter of a single vote applicable to both offices. If no candidates receive a majority of the votes cast in any election, on the fourteenth day thereafter a runoff election shall be held between the candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor receiving the highest and second highest number of votes cast. The first election for Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be held on November 3, 1970. Thereafter, beginning with the year 1974, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be elected every four years at the general election. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall hold office for a term of four years and until their successors are elected and qualified. No person who has been elected Governor for two full successive terms shall again be eligible to hold that office until one full term has intervened. The term of the elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall commence on the first Monday of January following the date of election. No person shall be eligible for election to the office of Governor or Lieutenant Governor unless he is an eligible voter and has been for five consecutive years immediately preceding the election a citizen of the United States and a bona fide resident of Guam and will be, at the time of taking office, at least thirty years of age. The Governor shall maintain his official residence in Guam during his incumbency. As amended by Act of September 11, 1968, 82 Stat. 847. Codified, 48 U.S.C. 1421b. |