美國的政治整合

American Political Integration

本文重點在探討美國的建國歷程中，如何將領土內不同族群背景 的群體整合至一個單一中央政府底下，服膺於一個中央政府，特別是 在領土建制整合上，檢視美國在建國與國土擴張後，進行的政治整 合，從邦聯體制到制憲後的聯邦體制，以及後續逐漸擴張取得的領 土，到當前形成各種不同分類的領土定位。美國的政治整合，聯邦政 府與州政府，以及州政府之間的府際關係是整合的重點。加上往西開 拓的新州加入，以及海外屬地的領土擴張，雖然有殖民的事實，但美 國卻不願以殖民形式來定位這些屬地的關係。其中波多黎各的地位最 「為獨特，不是一個獨立地區，也不是美國的一州，身為美國公民，但只享受到部分的憲法保障權利。這是人權立國，強調平權的美國猶如 是阿基里斯腱炎一般，不定期就會隱隱作痛。盡管美國歷屆總統大都 表示支持波多黎各爭取成為美國的一州，但是總都是口惠而已，真正 擁有決定權的國會都沒有作為，美國總統也都未積極加以推波助澜。

The main purpose of this paper is to examine the political integration of the United States of America since the Confederation era to these days. The major issues include how federal government and state governments work to agree with all legal responsibilities and rights. Also how the new states were included with the federation. According to the Constitution, most of people's daily lives are under regulations of state governments not of the federal governments. However, the interstate affairs demand the latter one's involvements to facilitate collaboration. Therefore the intergovernmental issues sometimes appear to be conflicts among these different levels of governments. Among them, Puerto Rico played an unique role with status of being neither state nor independent commonwealth. It became American's Achilles Tendon on human rights and self-determination, in which colony status indeed hurt the American's moral image.