ARticle 4, section 3, clause 2? Is a bit confusing...

Question

The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.

I am trying to reword it in modern language, but I cannot because the words used a confusing. So could you explain to me this clause? Please and thank you.

Answer 1

This section speaks of territories of the US that are not states.  When this was written, it encompassed a great deal.  Today, you have a select group of locations; Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Washington DC, and some other small locations.

So this says that congress can make laws for these territories.  However, no law can allow congress to give a territory more rights than an actual state, or harm a state in any way by making a law for the territory.

An interesting point to look at is how congress makes laws for our nation's capitol.  Some could construe a few of the laws passed for Washington DC as unfairly putting burdens on Maryland and Virginia.