What was the significance of the Insular Cases?

The Insular Cases were a series of Supreme Court rulings in the early 1900s that addressed the constitutional status of U.S. territories acquired during the Spanish-American War, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. These cases were significant because they established that the Constitution did not automatically extend to all territories under U.S. control, leading to rulings that determined the extent of rights and privileges that residents of these territories would enjoy.

The Court's decisions in these cases clarified that while the people in these territories were U.S. citizens, they did not necessarily have the same constitutional rights as residents of the states. This set a precedent for how the U.S. government would interact with and govern unincorporated territories moving forward, impacting issues such as taxation, civil liberties, and representation. The Insular Cases thus played a critical role in shaping U.S. imperial policy and the legal status of territories, marking an important chapter in the debate over American imperialism.