

Voting rights are one of the things that we take for granted in the United States. If we're born here, then we get to decide the direction that our leadership goes when we are of age, but not all people of the world, or even citizens of the United States, get to enjoy this right. What we fail to recognize is that millions who have come before us have had to fight day-in and day-out for this right; another thing we fail to realize is that even today we are all not equal. The four million citizens of the territories of the United States who abide by all of our laws and pay all of our taxes still cannot vote for our leader; these territories include Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, among others. Now I don't claim to be personally effected by this injustice, but I am an American. Therefore, I stand up for the idea that we are all equal under the eyes of the law. Through my research, I have given myself enough background information and credible sources to be able to informationally argue this injustice in our country.

My first credible source is written by Ben Norton, a veteran journalist for The Salon, and is called "The 5 US Colonies". Norton focuses on the major five territories of the US: American Samoa, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Marianas. The article brings to light the injustices that these major territories face such as being looted for resources such as land and troops and also downright legislative racism. The author also argues that colonialism is not only a thing of the past, but something that over four million citizens have been forced to deal with for over a century. He also tackles a central idea in American culture, "Taxation without Representation" and how these are words that are very much a reality for many American citizens. Not only are these citizens underrepresented when it comes to voting, but also government spending during natural disasters or just basic times of struggle which causes them to have repeated economic downturns. Norton is not biased in writing about this topic in any way. He is not racially or ethnically tied to any of these territories; he is simply a concerned American, as am I. His credibility comes from the credibility of the company that employs him- Salon. Salon is a multi-million dollar news website that has been around for over 20 years.

My next credible source is an article called "The Alien-Citizen Paradox and Other Consequences of U.S. Colonialism" written by law professor Ediberto Roman. I found this source through the USC database JSTOR. This article is an informational one that provides blatant facts on the current voting status of Puerto Rico, the largest and most populated of the U.S. territories. I would most use this article as specific evidence as to what the current status is of these territories by taking Puerto Rico as an example. This evidence would include the original legislation that shows why Puerto Rico's rights are different than all other U.S. states and why the 14th and 19th amendments do not apply to them. Ediberto Roman would be biased on this topic because his parents are both immigrants; but this is not an opinionated article rather, it is an informational one. All this article does is state facts, it does not pick a side on the argument. 

My last source is a YouTube video clip of the popular television show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, obviously narrated by John Oliver. This video displays the injustices of the major U.S. territories through a comedic tone. He appeals to his audience by using ridiculous, yet accurate, comparisons of what it's like to be these citizens. For instance, due to the United States' complete overtake of Guam's land for military purposes Oliver suggests that we change the American flag to simply a picture of a Guamanian waving an American flag. He also appeals to his audiences' emotional side by showing firsthand what it's like to be these citizens using witness testimony. Although the tone is comedic, John Oliver does a great job of pointing out exact issues these territories face aside from voting rights. He talks about them being underrepresented financially and also talks about the major contributions they make to our military and how it's a shame to not let them vote for their commander in chief. 

This research question is something that all Americans should be up in arms about, yet, somehow, the law hasn't been changed in over a century. The reason this question is arguable is because there seems to be a collected belief that this is an injustice that doesn't need to be corrected. As a country we have decided over the years that African Americans and women deserved voting rights, so why are the citizens of these territories any different? They have to abide by all of the same laws. I don't think I need to revise my research question because I think my current one is intriguing enough, I will continue to research opposing viewpoints to try and find possible counterarguments as to why this issue has gone uncorrected for so long.  

