Tempest in a Teacup

Posted on Posted in blog

Tempest in a Teacup was Originally Posted on July 11, 2005 by

The title seems to fit and I’m not quite sure how it came to me so quickly. Usually I have to think and re-write a few times to get the title to fit my ramblings.

Right off the bat I tell you that I am NOT anexpert on these matters and I encourage you to investigate yourself. I think you will be dismayed at what you find. My information is meant to get you to thing a bit about history.

Imagine living in a country, you can imagine America if you wish, where you are free to do what the leaders allow you to do. You are happy, you are sovereign; an independent country. You are there for over 1500 years. Over time, foreigners come to your land and you welcome them. They start businesses.

All of a sudden, these businessmen decide that your way of government may hurt their business interests and they decide to do something about it. They tell their foreign government that this country is planning to curtail their business. Whether that is true does not matter. Their country sets a warship in the harbor with guns pointed at the capitol. The leader(s) of this country are imprisoned while the businessmen create their own government.

The leader(s) of the country plead with the foreign government to see the light; to return this country to its people. The foreign government refuses (even though some of their people know this was an illegal takeover of a sovereign country).

I know that this sound somewhat fanciful and that so forth, but it really happened, and it was wrong! It happened between the United States and a foreign country Captain Cook called the Sandwich Islands and we now know as the state of Hawaii!

In 300-700 AD, Polynesians arrived from Tahiti in an island kingdom soon to be called Hawaii. In 1778, Captain Cook “discovered” the islands.

In 1810, King Kamehameha the Great unites all the Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom. That kingdom was recognized by the world as a country, separate from all others.

The missionaries came in 1820 and began telling these gentle people why they were heathens and their gods were wrong and, well you get the idea.

With Captain Cook and the missionaries, came diseases the Hawaiian people had never known and had to natural defenses to. Before long great masses of native Hawaiians were dead!

These “uncivilized people” were so backward that they didn’t get their first telephone system until 1883. It was not until 3 years later that AT&T started offering private service to customers in America… It is my understanding that Honolulu was wired for electricity before Washington DC.

So in 1880’s and 1890’s, things begin to change dramatically.

In 1887, a “Bayonet Constitution” imposed on Hawaiian monarchy by white business community, significantly decreased the power of the king and effectively disenfranchising the Hawaiian people.

In 1893 the then Queen, Lili’uokalani, attempts to implement a new constitution that would restore power to the throne and restore the voting rights of the Hawaiian people. Queen Lili’uokalani is overthrown by local businessmen with the help of the U.S. Marines and is forced to surrender the Hawaiian kingdom to the United States.

In 1894 the Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed with Sanford Dole as president. Soon after, the Queen is arrested and accused of plotting an aborted attempt to restore herself to the throne.

In 1896, the Queen is released from Iolani Palace and goes to Washington to ask President Cleveland for help. Help does not come.

In 1898 Hawaii is annexed by U.S. President McKinley

Then in 1900 Hawaii becomes a U.S. territory

All this time, native Hawaiians are dying and “foreigners” build up the islands.

In 1959, a vote was taken amongst the invaders. It would decide whether these islands would become a territory or be integrated as a state. I dare say most people did not know the history of the islands or what the result of their vote would be. Actually, since the “takeover” of Hawaii was illegal, a vote really makes no difference. There are those who will say, “Prove that the takeover was illegal” and I refer them to the US Congressional declaration that YES, indeed, the takeover of the Island Nation of Hawaii was illegal! Look it up!

[b]UNITED STATES PUBLIC LAW 103-150
103d Congress Joint Resolution 19
Nov. 23, 1993

To acknowledge the 100th anniversary of the January 17, 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and to offer an apology to Native Hawaiians on behalf of the United States for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. [/b]

Let me tell you, our Congress does NOT apologize at the drop of a hat for things it did not do!

Now let me tell you that in what I have read, I agree that this was a complete and illegal takeover of a foreign land, where I now live. I cannot do much except to add my voice to others and try to let people know what happened. I can encourage them to read their history.

If you want a better idea of exactly what happened, why not read the story by someone who was there, the actual Queen of Hawaii. http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/liliuokalani/hawaii/hawaii.html

Even amongst people here with native Hawaiian blood there is disagreement as to what should happen. There is not an easy solution because so many years have passed.

Senator Akaka has a bill in progress; many disagree with its direction.

In a perfect world, the people with native Hawaiian ancestry should decide how they want to unwind this fiasco, because why again should foreigners determine Hawaii’s fate?

You decide. Here are a few links to get you started:

Free Hawaii http://freehawaii.org
Hawaii Nation http://www.hawaii-nation.org/statehood2.html
Akaka Bill http://akaka.senate.gov/akakabill-b.html
Opposition to the bill http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/hawaiiansovereignty/AkakaOtherStatesOppose.html

I think the last one is kinda funny. A PHD says that the bill by Akaka would create a sovereign political entity of people of one race. He thinks that is wrong. Perhaps, but isn’t that exactly what Hawaii was before the US came?

As I say, I have no answers and don’t attempt to say I have much information. I just ask you to do a bit of reading and gain a bit of understanding.

Now you know that the Boston Tea Party was not the only Tempest in a Tea Cup the US has been in.