The Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall, Palau, Yap, Kosrae, Chuuk and Pohnpei Islands were grouped into the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) by the United Nations in 1947. Under the Trusteeship Agreement with the U.N. Security Council, the United States exercised administrative jurisdiction over the TTPI. 

The Navy administered the TTPI until 1951, when that authority was given to the Secretary of the Interior. During those initial years of authority, the Secretary of the Interior exercised broad administrative authority in all the insular areas. Chief executives of the insular governments were appointees of the President or the Secretary and the Secretary had the legal authority to supervise and give binding directions to them. 

Except for CNMI, which became a commonwealth of the U.S., the remaining TTPI entities chose a dramatically different political status. 

On May 1, 1979, the United States recognized the Constitution of the Marshall Islands and the establishment of the Government of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The United States recognized the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) constitution in 1979 and establishment of the Government of the FSM, both national and state levels. FSM created the 4 State levels from the islands of Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. 

On October 1, 1994, the Compact of Free Association between the United States and Palau entered into force, (U.S. Public Law 99-658). The Compact entered into force for the Marshall Islands on October 21, 1986, (Presidential Proclamation No. 5564). The FSM Compact was fully implemented on November 3, 1986 (Presidential Proclamation No. 5564).