Civic Society - Guampedia

CHamoru Quest for Self-Determination

Angel LG Santos

Matatnga. In 1993, Angel Leon Guerrero Santos, the spokesman for the Chamorro activist group Nasion Chamoru was invited to Hawaii to join a gathering of

Delegates to the First Constitutional Convention or Guam, shown in one of the final Plenary Sessions. Courtesy of the Department of CHamoru Affairs.

CHamoru Quest for Self-Determination

Political Status Commissions

In the 1960s and 1970s, several formal entities were organized by the Government of Guam to help assess the island’s political needs and desires and

Gov. Guerrero and senators. MARC collection.

CHamoru Quest for Self-Determination

Elective Governor Act 1968

The Guam Elective Governor Act was passed by the United States Congress on 11 September 1968 and granted the people of Guam the authority to

CHamoru Quest for Self-Determination

Guam Constitutional Conventions (ConCon)

Guam residents seek more self government. In an effort to address deficiencies in Guam’s relationship with the United States, two constitutional conventions were convened by

CHamoru Quest for Self-Determination

CHamoru Registry and the Decolonization Registry

In the early 1960s when the United Nations passed Resolution 1514 (XV) declaring that peoples in colonized territories had the right to self-determination, many non-self-governing

CHamoru Quest for Self-Determination

National Attention on Guam’s Postwar Campaign for Citizenship

When Guam was ceded to the United States after the Spanish-American War in 1898, the island fell under the administrative control of the US Navy.

CHamoru Quest for Self-Determination

OPI-R: Organization of People for Indigenous Rights

Although Chamorros have a long history of resisting the different colonial administrations that have governed the island, the latter decades of the 20th century are

CHamoru Quest for Self-Determination

Land Ownership in Guam

Ancient wisdom. Within the region known as Micronesia is a chain of islands called the Marianas, which are the furthest north and the nearest to

Funds for public-works projects were not appropriated by the United States Congress. Taxes were imposed on and collected from the residents of Guam by the U.S. naval government. Photo from the courtesy of Don Farrell.

CHamoru Quest for Self-Determination

US Naval Era Governors: Contributions and Controversies

Following the conclusion of the four-month long Spanish-American war in 1898, Guam was placed under the control of the United States Department of the Navy

Guam leaders meet with US Senator Spark M. Matsunaga after the US Senate hearing on the proposed Guam Constitution. L to R: Sen. Antonio M. Palomo, Con-Con Delegate Judith P. Guthertz, Con-Con President Carl Gutierrez, Mr. Walter Ferenz, representing the Guam Bar Association, Mr. Greg S. Perez, Chamber of Commerce president. Guam's Congressman Antonio B. Won Pat, and Sen. Matsungaga who chaired the hearings. Photo courtesy of the Micronesian Area Research Center (MARC).

CHamoru Quest for Self-Determination

Commission on Decolonization

The Commission on Decolonization was established by the 24th Guam Legislature in 1997 to enhance the efforts of the Commission on Self-Determination. Its purpose is