51st_state

context: The phrase "51st state" can be used in a positive sense, meaning that a region or territory is so aligned, supportive, and conducive with the United States, that it is like a U.S. state. It can also be used in a pejorative sense, meaning an area or region is perceived to be under excessive American cultural or military influence or control. In various countries around the world, people who believe their local or national culture has become too Americanized sometimes use the term "51st state" in reference to their own countries.
qas: answers: excessive American cultural or military influence or control
question: What types of control are considered when labeling a country with the perjorative "51st state" label?

answers: their local or national culture has become too Americanized
question: Sometimes, when a country refers to themselves as the 51st state, what has happened to their culture?

answers: a region or territory is so aligned, supportive, and conducive with the United States, that it is like a U.S. state
question: What reasoning would cause a country to be referred to as the "51st state" in a positive way?

answers: a region or territory is so aligned, supportive, and conducive with the United States
question: What is a positive connotation of the label "51st state"?

answers: an area or region is perceived to be under excessive American cultural or military influence or control
question: What is a reason for one negative connotation of the term?

answers: their local or national culture has become too Americanized
question: If a country refers to themselves as the "51st state" after cultural changes, what can we assume has changed?

context: Under Article IV, Section Three of the United States Constitution, which outlines the relationship among the states, Congress has the power to admit new states to the union. The states are required to give "full faith and credit" to the acts of each other's legislatures and courts, which is generally held to include the recognition of legal contracts, marriages, and criminal judgments. The states are guaranteed military and civil defense by the federal government, which is also obliged by Article IV, Section Four, to "guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government".
qas: answers: the relationship among the states
question: What does Article IV, Section three of the US Constitution outline?

answers: the power to admit new states to the union
question: Article IV, Section Three of th United States Constitution gives Congress the power to do what?

answers: legal contracts, marriages, and criminal judgments
question: What does the states' requirement to give "full faith and credit" help recognize?

answers: military and civil defense
question: What are all states guaranteed by the federal government?

answers: guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government
question: What does Article 4, Section 4 guarantee?

answers: Article IV, Section Three
question: What part of the US Constitution outlines the relationship among the states?

answers: the recognition of legal contracts, marriages, and criminal judgments
question: What does the concept of "full faith and credit" protect?

answers: admit new states to the union
question: Article IV, Section Three allows Congress to do what?

answers: military and civil defense
question: What is guaranteed to the states by the federal government?

context: Puerto Rico has been discussed as a potential 51st state of the United States. In a 2012 status referendum a majority of voters, 54%, expressed dissatisfaction with the current political relationship. In a separate question, 61% of voters supported statehood (excluding the 26% of voters who left this question blank). On December 11, 2012, Puerto Rico's legislature resolved to request that the President and the U.S. Congress act on the results, end the current form of territorial status and begin the process of admitting Puerto Rico to the Union as a state.
qas: answers: Puerto Rico has been discussed as a potential 51st state of the United States
question: What country has been regarded as a potential new addition to the United States?

answers: 54%
question: What percentage of voters expressed dissatisfaction with their current political relationship?

answers: 61%
question: What percentage of voters supported statehood?

answers: December 11, 2012
question: When did Puerto Rico resolve to request that the United States act on these results?

answers: end the current form of territorial status and begin the process of admitting Puerto Rico to the Union as a state
question: What would be an ideal reaction from the United States, according to Puerto Rico?

answers: Puerto Rico
question: What territory has been suggested as a new addition to the United States?

answers: 54%
question: What percentages of voters expressed unhappiness with the current political relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico?

answers: December 11, 2012
question: When did the legislature of Puerto Rico request that they be considered for statehood?

context: Since 1898, Puerto Rico has had limited representation in the Congress in the form of a Resident Commissioner, a nonvoting delegate. The 110th Congress returned the Commissioner's power to vote in the Committee of the Whole, but not on matters where the vote would represent a decisive participation. Puerto Rico has elections on the United States presidential primary or caucus of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party to select delegates to the respective parties' national conventions although presidential electors are not granted on the Electoral College. As American citizens, Puerto Ricans can vote in U.S. presidential elections, provided they reside in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia and not in Puerto Rico itself.
qas: answers: Since 1898
question: How long has Puerto Rico had representation in Congress?

answers: a Resident Commissioner
question: Who represents Puerto Rico in Congress?

answers: The 110th Congress
question: Which Congress gave the commissioner the power to vote?

answers: on matters where the vote would represent a decisive participation
question: What is the commissioner not allowed to vote on?

context: Residents of Puerto Rico pay U.S. federal taxes: import/export taxes, federal commodity taxes, social security taxes, therefore contributing to the American Government. Most Puerto Rico residents do not pay federal income tax but do pay federal payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare). However, federal employees, those who do business with the federal government, Puerto Rico–based corporations that intend to send funds to the U.S. and others do pay federal income taxes. Puerto Ricans may enlist in the U.S. military. Puerto Ricans have participated in all American wars since 1898; 52 Puerto Ricans had been killed in the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan by November 2012.
qas: answers: U.S. federal taxes
question: What types of taxes do Puerto Ricans pay?

answers: import/export taxes, federal commodity taxes, social security taxes
question: What makes up the federal taxes Puerto Rican citizens pay?

answers: Puerto Ricans may enlist in the U.S. military.
question: How else can they serve the U.S.?

answers: 52
question: How many Puerto Ricans have died in the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan?

context: Puerto Rico has been under U.S. sovereignty for over a century when it was ceded to the U.S. by Spain following the end of the Spanish–American War, and Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917. The island's ultimate status has not been determined as of 2012[update], its residents do not have voting representation in their federal government. Puerto Rico has limited representation in the U.S. Congress in the form of a Resident Commissioner, a delegate with limited no voting rights. Like the states, Puerto Rico has self-rule, a republican form of government organized pursuant to a constitution adopted by its people, and a bill of rights.
qas: answers: Spanish–American War
question: In the aftermath of which war was the U.S. granted Puerto Rico?

answers: Spain
question: What country handed over Puerto Rico to the US?

answers: since 1917
question: How long have Puerto Ricans been U.S. citizens?

answers: republican
question: What form of government do the Puerto Ricans have?

context: This constitution was created when the U.S. Congress directed local government to organize a constitutional convention to write the Puerto Rico Constitution in 1951. The acceptance of that constitution by Puerto Rico's electorate, the U.S. Congress, and the U.S. president occurred in 1952. In addition, the rights, privileges and immunities attendant to United States citizens are "respected in Puerto Rico to the same extent as though Puerto Rico were a state of the union" through the express extension of the Privileges and Immunities Clause of the U.S. Constitution by the U.S. Congress in 1948.
qas: answers: the U.S. Congress directed local government to organize a constitutional convention to write the Puerto Rico Constitution
question: How was the Puerto Rican constitution brought about?

answers: 1951
question: When was the Puerto Rican constitution written?

answers: 1952
question: When was the constitution accepted by the electorate, U.S. Congress, and U.S. President?

answers: Privileges and Immunities Clause
question: What clause gives Puerto Rican citizens the same rights as US citizens?

context: Puerto Rico is designated in its constitution as the "Commonwealth of Puerto Rico". The Constitution of Puerto Rico which became effective in 1952 adopted the name of Estado Libre Asociado (literally translated as "Free Associated State"), officially translated into English as Commonwealth, for its body politic. The island is under the jurisdiction of the Territorial Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which has led to doubts about the finality of the Commonwealth status for Puerto Rico. In addition, all people born in Puerto Rico become citizens of the U.S. at birth (under provisions of the Jones–Shafroth Act in 1917), but citizens residing in Puerto Rico cannot vote for president nor for full members of either house of Congress. Statehood would grant island residents full voting rights at the Federal level. The Puerto Rico Democracy Act (H.R. 2499) was approved on April 29, 2010, by the United States House of Representatives 223–169, but was not approved by the Senate before the end of the 111th Congress. It would have provided for a federally sanctioned self-determination process for the people of Puerto Rico. This act would provide for referendums to be held in Puerto Rico to determine the island's ultimate political status. It had also been introduced in 2007.
qas: answers: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
question: How is Puerto Rico designated in its constitution?

answers: Estado Libre Asociado (literally translated as "Free Associated State")
question: What title does the country have?

answers: The Puerto Rico Democracy Act (H.R. 2499)
question: What act was approved on April 29th, 2010?

answers: Territorial Clause of the U.S. Constitution
question: What is the island under jurisdiction of?

context: In November 2012, a referendum resulted in 54 percent of respondents voting to reject the current status under the territorial clause of the U.S. Constitution, while a second question resulted in 61 percent of voters identifying statehood as the preferred alternative to the current territorial status. The 2012 referendum was by far the most successful referendum for statehood advocates and support for statehood has risen in each successive popular referendum. However, more than one in four voters abstained from answering the question on the preferred alternative status. Statehood opponents have argued that the statehood option garnered only 45 percent of the votes if abstentions are included. If abstentions are considered, the result of the referendum is much closer to 44 percent for statehood, a number that falls under the 50 percent majority mark.
qas: answers: 54 percent
question: What percentage of voters rejected the status of territory?

answers: 61 percent
question: What percentage of voters preferred statehood?

answers: one in four voters
question: What percentage of voters abstained from voting on a preferred alternative status?

answers: the statehood option garnered only 45 percent of the votes if abstentions are included
question: What argument do those opposing statehood use?

context: The Washington Post, The New York Times and the Boston Herald have published opinion pieces expressing support for the statehood of Puerto Rico. On November 8, 2012, Washington, D.C. newspaper The Hill published an article saying that Congress will likely ignore the results of the referendum due to the circumstances behind the votes. and U.S. Congressman Luis Gutiérrez U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, both of Puerto Rican ancestry, agreed with the The Hill 's statements. Shortly after the results were published Puerto Rico-born U.S. Congressman José Enrique Serrano commented "I was particularly impressed with the outcome of the 'status' referendum in Puerto Rico. A majority of those voting signaled the desire to change the current territorial status. In a second question an even larger majority asked to become a state. This is an earthquake in Puerto Rican politics. It will demand the attention of Congress, and a definitive answer to the Puerto Rican request for change. This is a history-making moment where voters asked to move forward."
qas: answers: The Hill
question: What newspaper suggested that Congress would ignore Puerto Rico's referendum?

answers: The Washington Post, The New York Times and the Boston Herald
question: What newspapers have published opinion pieces expressing support for Puerto Rico's statehood?

answers: November 8, 2012
question: When was that article published?

answers: U.S. Congressman Luis Gutiérrez U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez
question: What Congress members agreed with the Hill's assesment?

context: Several days after the referendum, the Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, Governor Luis Fortuño, and Governor-elect Alejandro García Padilla wrote separate letters to the President of the United States Barack Obama addressing the results of the voting. Pierluisi urged Obama to begin legislation in favor of the statehood of Puerto Rico, in light of its win in the referendum. Fortuño urged him to move the process forward. García Padilla asked him to reject the results because of their ambiguity. The White House stance related to the November 2012 plebiscite was that the results were clear, the people of Puerto Rico want the issue of status resolved, and a majority chose statehood in the second question. Former White House director of Hispanic media stated, "Now it is time for Congress to act and the administration will work with them on that effort, so that the people of Puerto Rico can determine their own future."
qas: answers: Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, Governor Luis Fortuño
question: What politicians pushed for statehood for Puerto Rico?

answers: Governor-elect Alejandro García Padilla
question: What politician fought against statehood for Puerto Rico?

answers: wrote separate letters to the President of the United States Barack Obama
question: How did these politicians voice their concerns?

answers: the results were clear, the people of Puerto Rico want the issue of status resolved
question: What was the White House stance?

context: On May 15, 2013, Resident Commissioner Pierluisi introduced H.R. 2000 to Congress to "set forth the process for Puerto Rico to be admitted as a state of the Union," asking for Congress to vote on ratifying Puerto Rico as the 51st state. On February 12, 2014, Senator Martin Heinrich introduced a bill in the US Senate. The bill would require a binding referendum to be held in Puerto Rico asking whether the territory wants to be admitted as a state. In the event of a yes vote, the president would be asked to submit legislation to Congress to admit Puerto Rico as a state.
qas: answers: On May 15, 2013
question: When was H.R. 2000 introduced?

answers: a binding referendum to be held in Puerto Rico asking whether the territory wants to be admitted as a state.
question: What did Senator Heinrich's bill require?

answers: the president would be asked to submit legislation to Congress to admit Puerto Rico as a state
question: What would happen in the event of a yes vote in this referendum?

answers: set forth the process for Puerto Rico to be admitted as a state of the Union
question: What would H.R. 2000 do?

context: Washington, D.C. is often mentioned as a candidate for statehood. In Federalist No. 43 of The Federalist Papers, James Madison considered the implications of the definition of the "seat of government" found in the United States Constitution. Although he noted potential conflicts of interest, and the need for a "municipal legislature for local purposes," Madison did not address the district's role in national voting. Legal scholars disagree on whether a simple act of Congress can admit the District as a state, due to its status as the seat of government of the United States, which Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution requires to be under the exclusive jurisdiction of Congress; depending on the interpretation of this text, admission of the full District as a state may require a Constitutional amendment, which is much more difficult to enact. However, the Constitution does not set a minimum size for the District. Its size has already changed once before, when Virginia reclaimed the portion of the District south of the Potomac. So the constitutional requirement for a federal district can be satisfied by reducing its size to the small central core of government buildings and monuments, giving the rest of the territory to the new state.
qas: answers: James Madison
question: Who considered the implications of the definition of the seat of government in the Constitution?

answers: Federalist No. 43
question: Where are these ideas located in the Federalist Papers?

answers: the Constitution does not set a minimum size for the District
question: What limits does the constitution have for the size of Washington, D.C.?

answers: Virginia reclaimed the portion of the District south of the Potomac
question: What caused the size of Washington, D.C. to change?

context: Washington, D.C. residents who support the statehood movement sometimes use a shortened version of the Revolutionary War protest motto "No taxation without representation", omitting the initial "No", denoting their lack of Congressional representation; the phrase is now printed on newly issued Washington, D.C. license plates (although a driver may choose to have the Washington, D.C. website address instead). President Bill Clinton's presidential limousine had the "Taxation without representation" license plate late in his term, while President George W. Bush had the vehicle's plates changed shortly after beginning his term in office. President Barack Obama had the license plates changed back to the protest style at the beginning of his second term.
qas: answers: "No taxation without representation", omitting the initial "No"
question: What Revolutionary War motto have Washington, D.C. statehood supporters modified and used?

answers: their lack of Congressional representation
question: What does the phrase protest?

answers: the phrase is now printed on newly issued Washington, D.C. license plates
question: In what way has the phrase been spread wide?

answers: at the beginning of his second term
question: When did  Obama have the protest plates put on his Presidential limousine?

context: This position was carried by the D.C. Statehood Party, a political party; it has since merged with the local Green Party affiliate to form the D.C. Statehood Green Party. The nearest this movement ever came to success was in 1978, when Congress passed the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment. Two years later in 1980, local citizens passed an initiative calling for a constitutional convention for a new state. In 1982, voters ratified the constitution of the state, which was to be called New Columbia. The drive for statehood stalled in 1985, however, when the Washington, D.C. Voting Rights Amendment failed because not enough states ratified the amendment within the seven-year span specified.
qas: answers: D.C. Statehood Party
question: What party carried the position of D.C. Statehood?

answers: the local Green Party affiliate
question: What party did the D.C. Statehood Party merge when?

answers: 1978
question: When did the movement get closest to success?

answers: New Columbia
question: What would be the new name of the D.C. State?

answers: 1985
question: When did the drive for statehood falter?

context: Other less likely contenders are Guam and the United States Virgin Islands, both of which are unincorporated organized territories of the United States. Also, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa, an unorganized, unincorporated territory, could both attempt to gain statehood. Some proposals call for the Virgin Islands to be admitted with Puerto Rico as one state (often known as the proposed "Commonwealth of Prusvi", for Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands, or as "Puerto Virgo"), and for the amalgamation of U.S. territories or former territories in the Pacific Ocean, in the manner of the "Greater Hawaii" concept of the 1960s. Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands would be admitted as one state, along with Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands (although these latter three entities are now separate sovereign nations, which have Compact of Free Association relationships with the United States). Such a state would have a population of 412,381 (slightly lower than Wyoming's population) and a land area of 911.82 square miles (2,361.6 km2) (slightly smaller than Rhode Island). American Samoa could possibly be part of such a state, increasing the population to 467,900 and the area to 988.65 square miles (2,560.6 km2). Radio Australia, in late May 2008, issued signs of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands becoming one again and becoming the 51st state.
qas: answers: Guam
question: What is another likely country for statehood?

answers: United States Virgin Islands
question: What is another likely country for statehood?

answers: Radio Australia
question: What entity reported on Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands becoming one again?

context: The Philippines has had small grassroots movements for U.S. statehood. Originally part of the platform of the Progressive Party, then known as the Federalista Party, the party dropped it in 1907, which coincided with the name change. As recently as 2004, the concept of the Philippines becoming a U.S. state has been part of a political platform in the Philippines. Supporters of this movement include Filipinos who believe that the quality of life in the Philippines would be higher and that there would be less poverty there if the Philippines were an American state or territory. Supporters also include Filipinos that had fought as members of the United States Armed Forces in various wars during the Commonwealth period.
qas: answers: The Philippines
question: What country had small grassroots movement for US Statehood?

answers: Federalista Party
question: What party used to be known as the Federalista Party?

answers: 2004
question: What was the most recent year of the Phillipines pushing for statehood?

context: In Canada, "the 51st state" is a phrase generally used in such a way as to imply that if a certain political course is taken, Canada's destiny will be as little more than a part of the United States. Examples include the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement in 1988, the debate over the creation of a common defense perimeter, and as a potential consequence of not adopting proposals intended to resolve the issue of Quebec sovereignty, the Charlottetown Accord in 1992 and the Clarity Act in 1999.
qas: answers: if a certain political course is taken, Canada's destiny will be as little more than a part of the United States
question: What is another connotation for the 51st state label?

answers: 1988
question: When was the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement enacted?

answers: 1992
question: When was the Charlottetown Accord signed?

answers: 1999
question: When did the Clarity Act go into effect?

context: The phrase is usually used in local political debates, in polemic writing or in private conversations. It is rarely used by politicians themselves in a public context, although at certain times in Canadian history political parties have used other similarly loaded imagery. In the 1988 federal election, the Liberals asserted that the proposed Free Trade Agreement amounted to an American takeover of Canada—notably, the party ran an ad in which Progressive Conservative (PC) strategists, upon the adoption of the agreement, slowly erased the Canada-U.S. border from a desktop map of North America. Within days, however, the PCs responded with an ad which featured the border being drawn back on with a permanent marker, as an announcer intoned "Here's where we draw the line."
qas: answers: Liberals
question: Who suggested that the Free Trade Agreement amounted to an American takeover of Canada?

answers: In the 1988 federal election
question: When was this campaign ran?

answers: Progressive Conservative (PC) strategists
question: Who erased the border in the ad?

answers: "Here's where we draw the line."
question: What was the slogan of this ad?

context: The implication has historical basis and dates to the breakup of British America during the American Revolution. The colonies that had confederated to form the United States invaded Canada (at the time a term referring specifically to the modern-day provinces of Quebec and Ontario, which had only been in British hands since 1763) at least twice, neither time succeeding in taking control of the territory. The first invasion was during the Revolution, under the assumption that French-speaking Canadians' presumed hostility towards British colonial rule combined with the Franco-American alliance would make them natural allies to the American cause; the Continental Army successfully recruited two Canadian regiments for the invasion. That invasion's failure forced the members of those regiments into exile, and they settled mostly in upstate New York. The Articles of Confederation, written during the Revolution, included a provision for Canada to join the United States, should they ever decide to do so, without needing to seek U.S. permission as other states would. The United States again invaded Canada during the War of 1812, but this effort was made more difficult due to the large number of Loyalist Americans that had fled to what is now Ontario and still resisted joining the republic. The Hunter Patriots in the 1830s and the Fenian raids after the American Civil War were private attacks on Canada from the U.S. Several U.S. politicians in the 19th century also spoke in favour of annexing Canada.
qas: answers: 1763
question: When did Quebec land in British hands?

answers: 1763
question: When did Ontario land in British hands?

answers: the War of 1812
question: During which the US invade Canada?

answers: annexing Canada
question: What did several US politicians suggest doing in the 19th century?

context: In the late 1940s, during the last days of the Dominion of Newfoundland (at the time a dominion-dependency in the Commonwealth and independent of Canada), there was mainstream support, although not majority, for Newfoundland to form an economic union with the United States, thanks to the efforts of the Economic Union Party and significant U.S. investment in Newfoundland stemming from the U.S.-British alliance in World War II. The movement ultimately failed when, in a 1948 referendum, voters narrowly chose to confederate with Canada (the Economic Union Party supported an independent "responsible government" that they would then push toward their goals).
qas: answers: In the late 1940s
question: When were the last days of the Dominion of Newfoundland?

answers: an independent "responsible government"
question: What did the Economic Union Party support?

answers: The movement ultimately failed
question: What was the result of the 1948 referendum?

context: In the United States, the term "the 51st state" when applied to Canada can serve to highlight the similarities and close relationship between the United States and Canada. Sometimes the term is used disparagingly, intended to deride Canada as an unimportant neighbor. In the Quebec general election, 1989, the political party Parti 51 ran 11 candidates on a platform of Quebec seceding from Canada to join the United States (with its leader, André Perron, claiming Quebec could not survive as an independent nation). The party attracted just 3,846 votes across the province, 0.11% of the total votes cast. In comparison, the other parties in favour of sovereignty of Quebec in that election got 40.16% (PQ) and 1.22% (NPDQ).
qas: answers: can serve to highlight the similarities and close relationship between the United States and Canada
question: What does Canada being referred to as the 51st state in a positive way mean in the US, generally?

answers: to deride Canada as an unimportant neighbor
question: What is a negative connotation of the term?

answers: just 3,846 votes
question: How man votes did Parti 51 attract in 1989?

answers: 40.16% (PQ) and 1.22% (NPDQ)
question: What did the other parties receive that year?

context: Due to geographical proximity of the Central American countries to the U.S. which has powerful military, economic, and political influences, there were several movements and proposals by the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries to annex some or all of the Central American republics (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras with the formerly British-ruled Bay Islands, Nicaragua, Panama which had the U.S.-ruled Canal Zone territory from 1903 to 1979, and formerly British Honduras or Belize since 1981). However, the U.S. never acted on these proposals from some U.S. politicians; some of which were never delivered or considered seriously. In 2001, El Salvador adopted the U.S. dollar as its currency, while Panama has used it for decades due to its ties to the Canal Zone.
qas: answers: from 1903 to 1979
question: When did Panama have the US-ruled Canal Zone Territory?

answers: 2001
question: When did El Salvador adopt the US Dollar as its currency?

answers: since 1981
question: When did the British Honduras become Belize?

context: Cuba, like many Spanish territories, wanted to break free from Spain. A pro-independence movement in Cuba was supported by the U.S., and Cuban guerrilla leaders wanted annexation to the United States, but Cuban revolutionary leader José Martí called for Cuban nationhood. When the U.S. battleship Maine sank in Havana Harbor, the U.S. blamed Spain and the Spanish–American War broke out in 1898. After the U.S. won, Spain relinquished claim of sovereignty over territories, including Cuba. The U.S. administered Cuba as a protectorate until 1902. Several decades later in 1959, the corrupt Cuban government of U.S.-backed Fulgencio Batista was overthrown by Fidel Castro. Castro installed a Marxist–Leninist government allied with the Soviet Union, which has been in power ever since.
qas: answers: Spain
question: What country was Cuba a territory of?

answers: Maine
question: What battleship sunk in the Havana Harbor?

answers: 1959
question: When did Fidel Castro overthrow the Cuban government?

answers: Marxist–Leninist government
question: What government did Castro install?

context: Several websites assert that Israel is the 51st state due to the annual funding and defense support it receives from the United States. An example of this concept can be found in 2003 when Martine Rothblatt published a book called Two Stars for Peace that argued for the addition of Israel and the Palestinian territories surrounding it as the 51st state in the Union. The American State of Canaan, is a book published by Prof. Alfred de Grazia, political science and sociologist, in March 2009, proposing the creation of the 51st and 52nd states from Israel and the Palestinian territories.
qas: answers: the annual funding and defense support it receives from the United States
question: Why is Israel referred to as the 51st state?

answers: Two Stars for Peace
question: What book did Martine Rothblatt publish?

answers: 2003
question: When was Two Stars for Peace published?

answers: Alfred de Grazia
question: Who wrote the book The American State of Canaan?

context: In Article 3 of the Treaty of San Francisco between the Allied Powers and Japan, which came into force in April 1952, the U.S. put the outlying islands of the Ryukyus, including the island of Okinawa—home to over 1 million Okinawans related to the Japanese—and the Bonin Islands, the Volcano Islands, and Iwo Jima into U.S. trusteeship. All these trusteeships were slowly returned to Japanese rule. Okinawa was returned on May 15, 1972, but the U.S. stations troops in the island's bases as a defense for Japan.
qas: answers: April 1952
question: When did Artcle 3 of the Treaty of San Francisco come into effect?

answers: over 1 million
question: How many people lived on the island of Okinawa?

answers: May 15, 1972
question: When was Okinawa finally returned?

answers: as a defense for Japan.
question: Why did the US have troops on Okinawa?

context: In 2010 there was an attempt to register a 51st State Party with the New Zealand Electoral Commission. The party advocates New Zealand becoming the 51st state of the United States of America. The party's secretary is Paulus Telfer, a former Christchurch mayoral candidate. On February 5, 2010, the party applied to register a logo with the Electoral Commission. The logo – a US flag with 51 stars – was rejected by the Electoral Commission on the grounds that it was likely to cause confusion or mislead electors. As of 2014[update], the party remains unregistered and cannot appear on a ballot.
qas: answers: 2010
question: When did the 51st State Party attempt to register in New Zealand?

answers: Paulus Telfer
question: Who is the secretary of the 51st State Party?

answers: The party advocates New Zealand becoming the 51st state of the United States of America
question: What does the 51st State Party advocate?

answers: the party remains unregistered and cannot appear on a ballot.
question: Can people in New Zealand vote for the 51st State Party?

context: Albania has often been called the 51st state for its perceived strongly pro-American positions, mainly because of the United States' policies towards it. In reference to President George W. Bush's 2007 European tour, Edi Rama, Tirana's mayor and leader of the opposition Socialists, said: "Albania is for sure the most pro-American country in Europe, maybe even in the world ... Nowhere else can you find such respect and hospitality for the President of the United States. Even in Michigan, he wouldn't be as welcome." At the time of ex-Secretary of State James Baker's visit in 1992, there was even a move to hold a referendum declaring the country as the 51st American state. In addition to Albania, Kosovo which is predominately Albanian is seen as a 51st state due to the heavily presence and influence of the United States. The US has had troops and the largest base outside US territory, Camp Bondsteel in the territory since 1999.
qas: answers: Edi Rama,
question: Who is the mayor of Tirana?

answers: Edi Rama
question: Who said that Albania is the most pro-American country in Europe?

answers: 1992
question: When did James Baker visit Albania as Secretary of State?

answers: Camp Bondsteel
question: What is the name of the largest US military base outside of US territory?

context: During World War II, when Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany, the United States briefly controlled Greenland for battlefields and protection. In 1946, the United States offered to buy Greenland from Denmark for $100 million ($1.2 billion today) but Denmark refused to sell it. Several politicians and others have in recent years argued that Greenland could hypothetically be in a better financial situation as a part of the United States; for instance mentioned by professor Gudmundur Alfredsson at University of Akureyri in 2014. One of the actual reasons behind US interest in Greenland could be the vast natural resources of the island. According to Wikileaks, the U.S. appears to be highly interested in investing in the resource base of the island and in tapping the vast expected hydrocarbons off the Greenlandic coast.
qas: answers: when Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany
question: When did the US control Greenland?

answers: $100 million
question: How much did the US offer to pay for Greenland?

answers: University of Akureyri
question: What university is professor Gudmundur Alfredssson from?

answers: the vast expected hydrocarbons off the Greenlandic coast.
question: What is one reason the US would be interested in Greenland?

context: Poland has historically been staunchly pro-American, dating back to General Tadeusz Kościuszko and Casimir Pulaski's involvement in the American Revolution. This pro-American stance was reinforced following favorable American intervention in World War I (leading to the creation of an independent Poland) and the Cold War (culminating in a Polish state independent of Soviet influence). Poland contributed a large force to the "Coalition of the Willing" in Iraq. A quote referring to Poland as "the 51st state" has been attributed to James Pavitt, then Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Director for Operations, especially in connection to extraordinary rendition.
qas: answers: staunchly pro-American
question: What had been Poland's stance towards the US, historically?

answers: favorable American intervention in World War I
question: What led to the creation of an independent Poland?

answers: a large force
question: What did Poland contribute to the "Coalition of the Willing"?

context: The Party of Reconstruction in Sicily, which claimed 40,000 members in 1944, campaigned for Sicily to be admitted as a U.S. state. This party was one of several Sicilian separatist movements active after the downfall of Italian Fascism. Sicilians felt neglected or underrepresented by the Italian government after the annexation of 1861 that ended the rule of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies based in Naples. The large population of Sicilians in America and the American-led Allied invasion of Sicily in July–August 1943 may have contributed to the sentiment.
qas: answers: 40,000 members
question: How many members did the Party of Reconstruction in Sicily have in 1944?

answers: for Sicily to be admitted as a U.S. state
question: What did the Party of Reconstruction in Sicily campaign for?

answers: 1861
question: When did the annexation of Sicily by Italy happen?

answers: July–August 1943
question: When did the Allied invasion of Sicily occur?

context: There are four categories of terra nullius, land that is unclaimed by any state: the small unclaimed territory of Bir Tawil between Egypt and Sudan, Antarctica, the oceans, and celestial bodies such as the Moon or Mars. In the last three of these, international treaties (the Antarctic Treaty, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Outer Space Treaty respectively) prevent colonization and potential statehood of any of these uninhabited (and, given current technology, not permanently inhabitable) territories.
qas: answers: the small unclaimed territory of Bir Tawil between Egypt and Sudan, Antarctica, the oceans, and celestial bodies
question: What are the four categories of terra nullius?

answers: the Antarctic Treaty, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Outer Space Treaty
question: What three treaties exist for unclaimed lands?

answers: prevent colonization and potential statehood of any of these uninhabited (and, given current technology, not permanently inhabitable) territories.
question: What do the treaties defend against?

answers: between Egypt and Sudan
question: Where is Bir Tawil located?