From Colonialism to Self Government The Northern Marianas Experience

This is a book about the Northern Mariana Islands, a group of islands in the Northwestern Pacific that voluntarily joined the American political family in 1978, under a commonwealth relationship. The islands were colonized previously by Spain, Germany, and Japan for about four centuries. After World War II, they were placed under trusteeship status by the United Nations. After three decades under U.N. trusteeship administered by the United States, the islands chose to become a permanent member of the American political family. This is the story of the islands during the trusteeship era and their first three decades of experience as a self-governing commonwealth of the United States. About the Jose S. Dela Cruz was born and raised in the Northern Mariana Islands. He attended Mt. Carmel School while growing up on the island of Saipan. He is a 1974 graduate of Boalt Hall Law School, at the University of California, at Berkeley. He served as the first chief Justice of the Northern Mariana Islands Supreme Court, when it was established in 1989. He has since retired from the bench. He may be reached by email at joedlc1@yahoo.com.