| Hawai'i was united under a single ruler,
| |
| | Consulate-General, Suburo Fujii, quickly
|
| Kamehameha I, for the first time in 1810.
| |
| | recognized the Provisional Government as
|
| Until 1816, the chiefs considered
| |
| | the legitimate successor to the monarchy,
|
| themselves under British protection and
| |
| | along with every other international
|
| flew the Union Jack. The monarchy then
| |
| | legation in Honolulu.
|
| adopted a flag similar to the state's
| |
| | A provisional government was set up
|
| present flag, with the Union Jack in the
| |
| | without substantial support among
|
| canton (top quarter next to the flagpole)
| |
| | indigenous Hawaiians or the government,
|
| and eight horizontal stripes (alternating
| |
| | but had the strong support of the
|
| white, red and blue from the top),
| |
| | Honolulu Rifles, a militia group which
|
| representing the eight major islands of
| |
| | had defended the Kingdom against
|
| Hawai'i.
| |
| | rebellion in 1889. Under this pressure,
|
| In 1819, Kamehameha II ascended to the
| |
| | Lili'uokalani gave up her throne to the
|
| throne. Under intense pressure from his
| |
| | Committee of Safety. The Queen's
|
| co-regent and stepmother, Ka'ahumanu, he
| |
| | statement yielding authority, on January
|
| allowed the kapu system that had ruled
| |
| | 17, 1893, also pleaded for justice:
|
| life in the island to be abolished. See
| |
| | I Lili'uokalani, by the Grace of God and
|
| 'Ai Noa. In 1820, missionaries from a New
| |
| | under the Constitution of the Hawaiian
|
| England Congregationalist missionary
| |
| | Kingdom, Queen, do hereby solemnly
|
| group, the ABCFM, arrived. They were
| |
| | protest against any and all acts done
|
| received coldly at first, but after a
| |
| | against myself and the Constitutional
|
| year of limited permission to
| |
| | Government of the Hawaiian Kingdom by
|
| proselytize, some of the highest-ranking
| |
| | certain persons claiming to have
|
| chiefs converted, including Ka'ahumanu.
| |
| | established a Provisional Government of
|
| They were then given permission to stay
| |
| | and for this Kingdom.
|
| permanently. The commoners swiftly
| |
| | That I yield to the superior force of the
|
| followed the example of their leaders and
| |
| | United States of America whose Minister
|
| converted to Protestant Christianity. The
| |
| | Plenipotentiary, His Excellency John L.
|
| Christian chiefs attempted to rule the
| |
| | Stevens, has caused United States troops
|
| islands as a Christian nation, which led
| |
| | to be landed at Honolulu and declared
|
| to intense conflicts with other resident
| |
| | that he would support the Provisional
|
| Westerners and visiting ships, all of
| |
| | Government.
|
| whom preferred the old regime of abundant
| |
| | Now to avoid any collision of armed
|
| alcohol and promiscuous sexual relations.
| |
| | forces, and perhaps the loss of life, I
|
| Non-Hawaiian residents also pushed for a
| |
| | do this under protest and impelled by
|
| change in the land tenure practices of
| |
| | said force yield my authority until such
|
| the kingdom. Land was held at the will of
| |
| | time as the Government of the United
|
| the chiefs, and could be taken at any
| |
| | States shall, upon facts being presented
|
| time. The non-residents wished to hold
| |
| | to it, undo the action of its
|
| land in fee simple, according to their
| |
| | representatives and reinstate me in the
|
| own customs. The ruling chiefs were
| |
| | authority which I claim as the
|
| eventually persuaded to allow the land to
| |
| | Constitutional Sovereign of the Hawaiian
|
| be surveyed and divided between the king,
| |
| | Islands.
|
| the chiefs, and the commoners. Westerners
| |
| | A hasty investigation established by
|
| would then be able to purchase land or
| |
| | President Cleveland was conducted by
|
| register land claims. The Great Mahele
| |
| | former Congressman James Henderson
|
| (land division) was signed into law on
| |
| | Blount, and concluded on July 17, 1893,
|
| March 7, 1848 by King Kamehameha III, or
| |
| | "United States diplomatic and military
|
| Kauikeaouli, son of Kamehameha I.
| |
| | representatives had abused their
|
| On March 18, 1874 Hawai'i signed a treaty
| |
| | authority and were responsible for the
|
| with the United States granting Americans
| |
| | change in government."
|
| exclusive trading rights.
| |
| | Minister Stevens was recalled, and the
|
| The 1876 Reciprocity Treaty between the
| |
| | military commander of forces in Hawai'i
|
| Kingdom of Hawai'i and the United States
| |
| | was forced to resign his commission.
|
| allowed for duty free importation of
| |
| | President Cleveland stated "Substantial
|
| Hawaiian grown sugar (from cane) into the
| |
| | wrong has thus been done which a due
|
| United States. This act greatly altered
| |
| | regard for our national character as well
|
| the Hawaiian landscape by promoting sugar
| |
| | as the rights of the injured people
|
| plantation agriculture. Although the
| |
| | requires we should endeavor to repair the
|
| treaty also included duty free
| |
| | monarchy." Cleveland further stated in
|
| importation of rice, which was by this
| |
| | his 1893 State of the Union Address that,
|
| time becoming a major crop in the
| |
| | "Upon the facts developed it seemed to me
|
| abandoned taro lo'i of the wetter parts
| |
| | the only honorable course for our
|
| of the islands, it was the influx of
| |
| | Government to pursue was to undo the
|
| immigrants from Asia (first Chinese, and
| |
| | wrong that had been done by those
|
| later Japanese) needed to support the
| |
| | representing us and to restore as far as
|
| escalating sugar industry, that provided
| |
| | practicable the status existing at the
|
| the impetus for expansion of rice growing
| |
| | time of our forcible intervention."
|
| in Hawai'i. Thus the Treaty had several
| |
| | Submitting the matter to Congress on
|
| far reaching impacts on Hawai'i:
| |
| | December 18, 1893, after President
|
| Sugar cane and plantation agriculture
| |
| | Sanford Dole refused to reinstate the
|
| expanded greatly.
| |
| | Queen on Cleveland's command, the Senate
|
| High water requirements for growing sugar
| |
| | Foreign Relations Committee under
|
| cane resulted in extensive water works
| |
| | Chairman Morgan, continued investigation
|
| projects on all of the major islands to
| |
| | into the matter.
|
| divert streams from the wet, windward
| |
| | On February 26, 1894, the Morgan Report
|
| slopes to the dry lowlands.
| |
| | was submitted, exonerating Stevens and
|
| An influx of Asian immigrants was
| |
| | the U.S. troops from any involvement in
|
| encouraged to work the plantations.
| |
| | the overthrow. In response to this
|
| The traditional Hawaiian staple (taro)
| |
| | report, Cleveland backed off from his
|
| was replaced by rice growing to satisfy
| |
| | previous rhetoric surrounding the
|
| an expanding local market for the latter.
| |
| | overthrow, and conducted normal
|
|
| |
| | diplomatic relations with the Provisional
|
| Overthrow and annexation
| |
| | Government, and the Republic of Hawai'i.
|
| Up to the 1890s, the Kingdom of Hawai'i
| |
| | He rebuffed entreaties from the Queen to
|
| was independent and had been recognized
| |
| | interfere further in the matter, and in a
|
| by the United States, Great Britain,
| |
| | stunning turnaround accepted the
|
| France and Germany with exchange of
| |
| | legitimacy of the overthrow he had so
|
| ambassadors. This did not, however, mean
| |
| | virulently castigated.
|
| there were not threats to the Kingdom's
| |
| | The Republic of Hawai'i was established
|
| sovereignty made during that time.
| |
| | July 4, 1894 under the presidency of
|
| The most serious incident occurred on
| |
| | Sanford Dole.
|
| February 10, 1843. Lord George Paulet of
| |
| | In 1896, William McKinley succeeded
|
| the Royal Navy warship HMS Carysfort
| |
| | Cleveland as president. Two years later,
|
| entered Honolulu Harbor and captured the
| |
| | he signed the Newlands Resolution which
|
| Honolulu fort, effectively gaining
| |
| | provided for the official annexation of
|
| control of the town. Paulet then demanded
| |
| | Hawai'i on July 7, 1898 and the islands
|
| King Kamehameha III abdicate and that the
| |
| | officially became Hawai'i Territory, a
|
| Hawaiian Islands be ceded to the British
| |
| | United States territory, on February 22,
|
| Crown. Under the guns of the frigate,
| |
| | 1900.
|
| Kamehameha stepped down, but lobbied a
| |
| | American Territory
|
| formal protest with both the British
| |
| | The territorial legislature convened for
|
| government and Paulet's superior, Admiral
| |
| | the first time on February 20, 1901.
|
| Richard Thomas. Thomas repudiated
| |
| | An attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December
|
| Paulet's actions, and on July 31, 1843,
| |
| | 1941 by the Empire of Japan was a trigger
|
| restored the Hawaiian government. In his
| |
| | for the United States' entry into World
|
| restoration speech, Kamehameha declared
| |
| | War II.
|
| that "Ua mau ke ea o ka 'aina i ka pono"
| |
| | Statehood
|
| (The life of the land is perpetuated in
| |
| | President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a
|
| righteousness), the motto of the future
| |
| | bill on March 18, 1959 which allowed for
|
| State of Hawai'i.
| |
| | Hawaiian statehood. Hawai'i formally
|
| In 1887, a group of American-born cabinet
| |
| | became the 50th state of the Union on
|
| officials and advisors to King David
| |
| | August 21, 1959 after a vote of over 94%
|
| Kalakaua and an armed militia forced the
| |
| | in favor of statehood.
|
| king to promulgate what is today known as
| |
| | The Democratic Party became a dominant
|
| the Bayonet Constitution. The
| |
| | force in state politics shortly after
|
| constitution was in response to
| |
| | World War II. Democrats have held a
|
| Kalakaua's capricious use of power, and
| |
| | majority in both houses of the state
|
| it stripped the monarchy of much of its
| |
| | legislature since statehood, and held the
|
| authority. Asians were completely removed
| |
| | governorship for 40 years (from
|
| from the voting population and over 75%
| |
| | 1962-2002).
|
| of the native Hawaiian population lost
| |
| | Modern sovereignty movements
|
| its right to vote in its own elections
| |
| | The manner in which Hawai'i became a U.S.
|
| through significant income and property
| |
| | possession has been a bitter part of its
|
| requirements. Only well-to-do Europeans,
| |
| | history for some in recent years.
|
| Americans and Hawaiians were given full
| |
| | Although native Hawaiians disbanded their
|
| voting rights. When Kalakaua died in
| |
| | anti-annexation political parties and
|
| 1891, his sister Lili'uokalani assumed
| |
| | created the Home Rule Party of Hawai' to
|
| the throne. With lukewarm support of
| |
| | dominate the Territorial government after
|
| native Hawaiians and other Hawaiian
| |
| | annexation, and fought for statehood for
|
| citizens, in defiance of the constitution
| |
| | decades, in recent decades there have
|
| she had sworn to uphold, the queen
| |
| | been various small scale ethnic
|
| drafted a new constitution that would
| |
| | "sovereignty" movements. Seen as a
|
| restore the monarchy's authority and
| |
| | powerful swing-vote, Hawaii state
|
| strip American and European residents of
| |
| | politicians have generally fallen in line
|
| the suffrage they had obtained in 1887.
| |
| | with much of their historical vision.
|
| In response to Lili'uokalani's attempt to
| |
| | With U.S. Senators Daniel Inouye and
|
| subvert the constitution of 1887, a group
| |
| | Daniel Akaka of Hawai'i championing it,
|
| of European and American Hawaiian
| |
| | with limited debate in the Senate and no
|
| citizens and residents in Hawai'i formed
| |
| | debate in the House, President Bill
|
| a "Committee of Safety" to prevent the
| |
| | Clinton signed the "Apology Resolution"
|
| queen of the Kingdom of Hawai'i from
| |
| | (US Public Law 103-150), a joint
|
| acting on her threat to abrogate the
| |
| | resolution of the United States Congress,
|
| current constitution on January 14, 1893.
| |
| | on November 23, 1993; it explicitly
|
| United States Government Minister John L.
| |
| | apologized for alleged American
|
| Stevens, worried about possible threats
| |
| | participation in the Hawaiian Revolution
|
| to non-combatant American lives and
| |
| | of 1893.
|
| property, summoned a company of uniformed
| |
| | Sen. Akaka is also author of a bill that
|
| U.S. Marines from the U.S.S. Boston and
| |
| | would extend federal recognition to
|
| two companies of U.S. sailors to land on
| |
| | Native Hawaiians as an indigenous people,
|
| the Kingdom and take up positions at the
| |
| | enabling them to engage in
|
| U.S. Legation, Consulate, and Arion Hall
| |
| | nation-to-nation negotiations with the
|
| on the afternoon of January 16th, 1893.
| |
| | U.S. government in the same manner as
|
| During the overthrow, the Japanese
| |
| | Native American tribes without any of the
|
| Imperial Navy gunboat Naniwa was docked
| |
| | same qualifications necessary for tribal
|
| at Pearl Harbor. The gunboat's commander,
| |
| | recognition. The "Akaka Bill" was
|
| Heihachiro Togo, who would later go on to
| |
| | recently brought up in the Senate,
|
| command the Japanese battleship fleet at
| |
| | however, the vote to invoke cloture and
|
| Tsushima, refused to accede to the
| |
| | end debate, leading to a final vote on
|
| Provisional Government's demands that he
| |
| | the measure, failed on the yeas and nays
|
| strike the colors of the Kingdom, but
| |
| | 56-41. A total of 60 votes is needed to
|
| later lowered the colors on order of the
| |
| | invoke cloture.
|
| Japanese Government. The Japanese
| |
| |
|
