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The provisions of an Organic Act typically include the establishment of a Bill Of Rights for the territory, as well as the framework of a Tripartite Government . Such a territory is said to be ''organized''. Historically, an organized territory differed from a State in that although the organic act allowed for limited self-government, a territory had no Constitution and ultimate authority over the territory was held not by the territorial government but by the United States Congress . Some contemporary organized territories have constitutions, but such constitutions are distinct from state constitutions in that they do not qualify the territory for becoming a state of the union. The first organized territory in the United States was the Northwest Territory , organized in 1787 by the passage of the Northwest Ordinance , which is the prototype for subsequent organic acts. Historically, the organization of a territory by the passage of an organic act was typically a prelude to Statehood . In the current lexicon of the United States political Insular Area s, a " Commonwealth " is considered a special case of an organized territory. At present, there are two— Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands . Neither of these, however, is an Incorporated Territory . CONTEMPORARY ORGANIZED TERRITORIES Currently, the following are examples of U.S. territories: Guam and the United States Virgin Islands . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINK
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