- This case had been a landmark decision in regarding the issues of the rights of the citizens in newly acquired territories .
- The case arose when the annexation of Hawaii and Alaska had taken full effect and there had been questioning with what to do with people of these territories.
- The case had been eventually brought up to the Supreme Court and it had been decided that while the people within Puerto Rico would not be granted full U.S. citizenship, the people of the territories Hawaii and Alaska would. This created the precedent of the identification of different territories and what privileges of the nation they would receive.