The Compact of Free Association between the U.S. and both the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia outlines each countries rights and obligations to one another. The United States is granted exclusive defense authority and access to certain Marshallese and Micronesian lands for military operations, while Marshall Islanders and Micronesians are granted economic assistance and visa-free migration to the United States.

H.J. Res.626 – 99th Congress (1985-1986). Palau Compact of Free Association Act. (1986, November 14).

The Compact of Free Association between the U.S. and Palau outlines each countries rights and obligations to one another. The United States is granted exclusive defense authority and access to certain Palauan lands for military operations, while Palauans are granted economic assistance and visa-free migration to the United States.

Genz, J. H., Goodyear-Kaʻōpua, N., LaBriola, M. C., Mawyer, A., Morei, E. N., & Rosa, J. P. (2019). Volume 1 of Teaching Oceania Series, Militarism and Nuclear Testing in the Pacific. Honolulu: Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa.

This textbook provides an accessible introduction to histories of militarism and nuclear testing in Oceania. In addition to defining important concepts such as militarism and militarization, the textbook positions present-day Oceania within deeper Indigenous and imperial histories.

Hanlon, D. (1998). Remaking Micronesia: Discourses over Development in a Pacific Territory 1944-1982. University of Hawaii Press.

Remaking Micronesia provides a meticulously researched account of future political status considerations in the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Historian David Hanlon traces the territorial and exploitative motives of U.S. negotiators and government officials, while also centering the work of Congress of Micronesia representatives as they attempted to unite a regional political identity.

Heine, C. (1974). Micronesia at the crossroads: a reappraisal of the Micronesian political dilemma. Univ. Press of Hawaii.

This book, written by the same Carl Heine whose correspondence appears in the primary source collection, provides an analysis of the political options facing the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands during future political status negotiations. In the book Heine grapples with his own experiences of colonization, modernization, economic development, and decolonization, and connects those with the experiences of other islanders living under American governance.

Jetnil-Kijiner, K. (2011). Lessons from Hawaii.

This spoken-word poem depicts and deplores racism against Marshall Islanders in Hawaiʻi, rejecting both the stereotypical representation of “Micronesians” and the imperial histories that abstract diverse places into a singular region.

Micronesia Archives - Honolulu Civil Beat

This collection of news articles address current events in the islands comprising the Northern Marianas Islands, the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Topics addressed span climate change, migration, racism, higher education, health, and much more.

Saranillio, D. I. (2018). Unsustainable empire: Alternative histories of Hawaiʻi statehood. Duke University Press.

Unsustainable Empire challenges conventional narratives of Hawaiʻi statehood by uncovering the perspectives of Native Hawaiians, many of whom opposed further incorporation into the United States. By emphasizing opposition to statehood and highlighting the United States’ desire to expand economically, Saranillio argues that statehood was not the antidote to racism but rather an extension of American imperialism.

Further reading