By Larry Romanoff --
August 6, 2023
NOTE: This first portion is
adapted from an article in The Hawaiian Nation.[1]
Few people know that the Kingdom of Hawaii still
exists as a nation-state, that it has its own citizens, issues its own
passports and conducts its own diplomatic relations. Few people know that
Hawaii is not legally a state of the US, and that the Kingdom has been trying
for more than 100 years to end the illegal US occupation of Hawaii. Here is the story.
The Hijacking of a Country
On January 14, 1893, the United States Minister
assigned to the sovereign and independent Kingdom of Hawaii conspired with a
small group of non-Hawaiian residents of the Kingdom of Hawaii, including
citizens of the United States, and with the unauthorised support of the US
Navy, to overthrow the indigenous and lawful Government of Hawaii. Soon
thereafter, while imprisoned and informed of the risk of bloodshed, Queen
Liliuokalani was forced to relinquish control of her Kingdom to the United
States Government. In a message to Congress on December 18, 1893, President
Grover Cleveland described such acts as an "act of war, committed with the
participation of a diplomatic representative of the United States and without
authority of Congress", and acknowledged that by such acts the government
of a peaceful and friendly people was overthrown. President Cleveland further
concluded that a "substantial wrong has thus been done which a due regard
for our national character as well as the rights of the injured people requires
we should endeavor to repair" and called for the restoration of the
Hawaiian monarchy.
The Fraudulent Creation of a US "State"
The "Statehood Process" for Hawaii was a
double fraud. It not only failed to provide the correct set of choices to be
voted upon, but provided voting power mostly only to Americans - and none to
Hawaiians themselves. the U.N. clarified self-governance to mean giving the
people of the territory choices of how they would relate to the U.N. -
integration, free association, or independence. This self-governance process
was meant to break the chains of colonization. But rather than permitting the
choices demanded by the U. N, the US limited the choice to
"integration." In 1959, it placed before the people only the
question: "Shall Hawaii immediately be admitted into the Union as a
State?" The qualified voters in this process were US citizens who had
resided in Hawaii for at least one year. Since the American invasion and
annexation and during its 60-year watch, thousands had migrated to Hawaii, many
with the US military. Any Hawaiians who were or took up U.S. citizenship were
all permitted to vote. But those who dared to declare themselves Hawaiian
citizens, refusing to accept the imposed American citizenship, could not vote.
And that's how Hawaii became the 50th State of the US.
Hawaii is Not Legally a State of the US
It is easy to find the courage necessary to support a
moral position if that position benefits oneself. True moral courage, however,
is proven when one chooses to support that which is morally and ethically right
even when such a position is to one's one detriment. The people of the United
States find themselves in such a position right now, forced to choose between a
moral and ethical position that carries with it the potential for inconvenience
or supporting the status quo and having to admit to themselves that they are
not the champions of justice they imagine themselves to be. By the end of this
article, you will know for yourself which one you are. But the reality is that
in a world in which nations are as bound by the rule of laws as are the
citizens of nations (if not more so), the truth is quite different. The truth
is that each and every step along Hawaii's path from sovereign and independent
nation, to annexed territory, to state, was done in violation of laws and
treaties then in effect, without regard to the wishes of the Hawaiian people.
Many people, including President Grover Cleveland, opposed the annexation of
Hawaii. But in the end, simple greed and military interest overrode any
concerns or moral right and legality. Hawaii's legitimate government was
toppled using threat of American military force. Hawaii was stolen from her
people for the benefit of wealthy American plantation owners and military
interests, and the justifications for the crime were invented after-the-fact. (The
above is the Hawaiian Flag - of an Independent Country that Still Exists).
But the reality is that in a world in which nations
are as bound by the rule of laws as are the citizens of nations (if not more
so), the truth is quite different. The truth is that each and every step along
Hawaii's path from sovereign and independent nation, to annexed territory, to
state, was done in violation of laws and treaties then in effect, without
regard to the wishes of the Hawaiian people. Many people, including President
Grover Cleveland, opposed the annexation of Hawaii. But in the end, simple
greed and military interest overrode any concerns or moral right and legality.
Hawaii's legitimate government was toppled using threat of American military
force. Hawaii was stolen from her people for the benefit of wealthy American
plantation owners and military interests, and the justifications for the crime
were invented after-the-fact. (The photo is of workers in the cane fields.
When the US took over, the use of whips was common.)
Hawaii's government was overthrown on Jan. 17, 1893,
by a relatively small group of men, most of them American by birth or heritage.
They seized control of the Islands with the backing of American troops sent
ashore from a warship in Honolulu Harbor. To this "superior force of the
United States of America," Queen Liliuokalani yielded her throne, under
protest, in order to avoid bloodshed. She trusted that the United States
government would right the wrong that had been done to her and the Hawaiian
people. Who were this group of American men and why did they overthrow the
government? Bob Dole's relatives, and sugar. Sugar was by far the principal
support of the islands, and profits and prosperity hinged on favorable treaties
with the United States, Hawaiian sugar's chief market, creating powerful
economic ties. The plantation owners were, for the most part, the descendants
of the original missionary families who had brought religion to the islands in
the wake of the whaling ships. As ownership of private property came to the
islands, the missionary families wound up owning a great deal of it! Hawaii has
little in the way of mineral wealth, so the land was useful only for
agriculture. In a day when unrefrigerated sailing ships were the only means to
ship produce to the US Mainland, sugar, and to a lesser extent coconuts, were
the only produce which could survive the duration of the sea voyage.
But the United States had, in 1826, recognized Hawaii
as a sovereign nation in its own right, and imposed the usual import tariffs on
sugar coming from the islands. This cut into the profits of the sugar
plantations. Indeed, being American citizens themselves, the plantation owners
were rankled by the fact that the US government actually made more profit from
their sugar then the plantation owners themselves did. To evade the tariff, it
became necessary to the plantation owners that Hawaii cease being a separate
and sovereign nation. In 1887, during the reign of Liliuokalani' s brother,
King Kalakaua, a group of planters and businessmen, seeking to control the
kingdom politically as well as economically, formed a secret organization, the
Hawaiian League. Membership (only a few hundred, compared to the 40,000 Native
Hawaiians in the kingdom) was predominantly American, led by Lorrin A.
Thurston, a lawyer and missionary grandson. Their goal, for now, was to
"reform" the monarchy. But what was "reform" to the
Americans was treason to the people of Hawaii, who loved and respected their
monarchs. It is important to recall that, unlike the hereditary rulers of
Europe, Hawaii's last two Kings were actually elected to that office by
democratic vote. Kalakaua and his sister Lili’uokalani were well-educated,
intelligent, skilled in social graces, and equally at home with Hawaiian
traditions and court ceremony. Above all, they were deeply concerned about the
well-being of the Hawaiian people and maintaining the independence of the
kingdom. They saw no reason to relinquish their independence solely to make
already rich Americans richer still. (The photo shows US Military ships at
anchor in Honolulu harbor.)
American Marines from the USS
Philadelphia raise the American flag at the United States annexation ceremony
at Iolani Palace, Honolulu, Hawaii. Wikimedia Commons photo.
The Hawaiian League's more radical members favored the
king's abdication, and one even proposed assassination. But they decided that
the king would remain on the throne but with his power sharply limited by a new
constitution of their making. Killing him would be a last resort if he refused
to agree. Many Hawaiian League members belonged to a volunteer militia, the
Honolulu Rifles, which was officially in service to the Hawaiian government,
but was secretly the Hawaiian League's military arm. Kalakaua was compelled to
accept a new Cabinet composed of league members, who presented their
constitution to him for his signature at Iolani Palace. The reluctant king
argued and protested, but finally signed the document, which became known as
the Bayonet Constitution, as in "signed at the point of". As one
Cabinet member noted, "Little was left to the imagination of the
hesitating and unwilling sovereign, as to what he might expect in the event of
his refusal to comply with the demands made upon him." The Bayonet
Constitution greatly curtailed the king's power, making him a mere figurehead.
It placed the actual executive power in the hands of the Cabinet, whose members
could no longer be dismissed by the king, only by the Legislature. Amending
this constitution was also the exclusive prerogative of the Legislature. The
Bayonet Constitution's other purpose was to remove the Native Hawaiian
majority's dominance at the polls and in the Legislature. The righteous
reformers were determined to save the Hawaiians from self-government. (The
photo shows Iolani Palace, home of the Hawaiian Queen, a building that had
electricity and telephones ten years before the White House did.)
As one Cabinet member noted, "Little was left to
the imagination of the hesitating and unwilling sovereign, as to what he might
expect in the event of his refusal to comply with the demands made upon
him." The Bayonet Constitution greatly curtailed the king's power, making
him a mere figurehead. It placed the actual executive power in the hands of the
Cabinet, whose members could no longer be dismissed by the king, only by the
Legislature. Amending this constitution was also the exclusive prerogative of the
Legislature. The Bayonet Constitution's other purpose was to remove the Native
Hawaiian majority's dominance at the polls and in the Legislature. The
righteous reformers were determined to save the Hawaiians from self-government.
(The photo shows Sanford Dole handing over sovereignty
of Hawaii to the United States, even though it was not legally his to give.)
The privilege of voting was no longer limited to
citizens of the kingdom, but was extended to foreign residents -- provided they
were American or European. Asians were excluded - even those who had become
naturalized citizens. The House of Nobles, formerly appointed by the king,
would now be elected, and voters and candidates for it had to meet a high
property ownership or income requirement - which excluded most of the Native
Hawaiians. While they could still vote for the House of Representatives,
to do so they had to swear to uphold the Bayonet Constitution. The Hawaiians
strenuously opposed the diminution of their voice in governing their own
country and resented the reduction of the monarch's powers and the manner in
which the Bayonet Constitution had been forced on him. Hawaiians, Chinese and
Japanese petitioned the king to revoke the constitution. The self-styled Reform
Cabinet responded that only an act of the Legislature could do this - though
their new constitution had never been put to a vote. In 1889 a young
part-Hawaiian named Robert W. Wilcox staged an uprising to overthrow the
Bayonet Constitution. He led some 80 men, Hawaiians and Europeans, with arms
purchased by the Chinese, in a predawn march to `Iolani Palace with a new
constitution for Kalakaua to sign. The king was away from the palace, and the
Cabinet called out troops who forcibly put down the insurrection. Tried for
conspiracy, Wilcox was found not guilty by a jury of Native Hawaiians, who
considered him a folk hero.
On Jan. 20, 1891, King Kalakaua died of kidney disease
at age 54, leaving his sister, Liliuokalani' as Queen of Hawaii, who childless
herself, declared the young Princess Ka`iulani her successor to the throne.
Just 7 months later, Liliuokalani's husband, John Dominis, an American sea
captain's son, also died. The next year, Lorrin Thurston and a group of
like-minded men, mostly of American blood, formed an Annexation Club, plotting
the overthrow of the queen and annexation to the United States. Thurston went
to Washington to promote annexation, and received an encouraging message from
President Benjamin Harrison: "You will find an exceedingly sympathetic
administration here." On Jan. 14, 1893 the queen attempted to proclaim a
new constitution restoring power to the throne and rights to the Native
Hawaiian people. Alerted earlier of the queen's intention by two of her Cabinet
members, the Annexation Club sprang into action. A 13-member Committee of
Safety was chosen to plan the overthrow of the queen and the establishment of a
provisional government. As they plotted revolution, they claimed that the
queen, by proposing to alter the constitution, had committed ''a revolutionary
act." (The photo shows Sanford Dole, President of the provisional
government of Hawaii, whose brother founded the Dole Pineapple company.)
The American warship USS Boston was in port at
Honolulu Harbor. With an eye toward landing troops, Lorrin Thurston and
two others called upon the American minister in Hawaii, John L. Stevens,
an avowed annexationist. Stevens assured them he would not protect the queen,
and that he would land troops from the Boston if necessary "to protect
American lives and property." He also said that if the revolutionaries
were in possession of government buildings and actually in control of the city,
he would recognize their provisional government. It is important to note that
Stevens lacked any legal standing to recognize a new government on behalf of
the United States. The next day, Jan. 15, Thurston told the queen's Cabinet
that the Committee of Safety would challenge her, and delivered a letter to
Minister Stevens requesting him to land troops from the Boston, stating that
"the public safety is menaced and life and property are in peril."
This was a critical point. The "public safety" was threatened only by
the Committee of Safety itself. Stevens had no legal basis to send American
troops ashore in force. It was, by any definition of the word, an invasion
using American troops, in order to overthrow a foreign government. The
Committee of Safety offered the presidency of the provisional government to
Sanford B. Dole, another of the "mission boys," as Thurston called
them. Rather than abolishing the monarchy, Dole favored replacing the queen
with a regency holding the throne in trust until Princess Ka'iulani came of
age. He accepted the presidency and submitted his resignation as a justice in
Hawaii's Supreme Court. On the morning of Jan. 17, Dole gave Stevens a letter
from Thurston, asking for his recognition of the provisional government, which
they planned to proclaim at 3 that afternoon. The American minister told Dole,
"I think you have a great opportunity."
(The photo shows US warships in Honolulu
harbor.)
On Jan. 17, 1893, at dusk, Queen Liliuokalani yielded
her throne under protest, with these words: "I, Liliuokalani, by the grace
of God and under the constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen, do hereby
solemnly protest against any and all acts done against myself and the
constitutional government of the Hawaiian Kingdom by certain persons claiming
to have established a Provisional Government of and for this Kingdom.
"That I yield to the superior force of the United States of America, whose
Minister Plenipotentiary, His Excellency John L. Stevens, has caused United
States troops to be landed at Honolulu and declared that he would support the
said Provisional Government. "Now, to avoid any collision of armed forces
and perhaps loss of life, I do, under this protest, and impelled by said
forces, yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United
States shall, upon the facts being presented to it, undo the action of its
representative and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the constitutional
sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands."
Note that the queen surrendered Hawaii's sovereignty
not to the revolutionaries but to the "superior
force of the United States of America".
This firmly put the United States in the legal position of having invaded and
overthrown the government of a foreign nation without provocation. The
provisional government took over the palace and declared martial law. Later, at
its request, Minister Stevens proclaimed Hawaii a temporary protectorate and
raised the American flag over government buildings. He wrote the State
Department urging annexation, saying, "The Hawaiian pear is now fully
ripe, and this is the golden hour for the United States to pluck it." The
provisional government had chartered a steamer, and Thurston and four others
hastened to Washington with a treaty of annexation in hand. The queen's envoys
were refused permission to sail on the same ship, and by the time they reached
Washington, President Harrison had already sent the annexation treaty to the Senate.
But Harrison was in his last days in power, and Grover Cleveland, who replaced
him, withdrew the treaty, alarmed by the legal ramifications of what had
happened.
President Cleveland sent to Honolulu special
commissioner James H. Blount, former chairman of the House Committee on
Foreign Affairs. Blount's job was to investigate the circumstances of the
revolution, the role Minister Stevens and American troops played in it, and to
determine the feelings of the people of Hawaii toward the provisional
government. Blount immediately ordered the troops back to their ship and the
American flag taken down and replaced by the Hawaiian flag. Blount's final
report charged that Minister Stevens illegally conspired in the overthrow of
the monarchy, which would not have taken place without the landing of U.S.
troops. Blount recommended restoring the queen, saying...The undoubted sentiment of the people is for the queen, against the
provisional government and against annexation."
He noted, "There is not an annexationist in the Islands, so far as I have
been able to observe, who would be willing to submit the question of annexation
to a popular vote."
Based on Blount's findings, President Cleveland
decided that, in the name of justice, he would do everything in his power to
reinstate the queen. Minister Stevens was recalled from Hawaii in disgrace, and
replaced with Albert Willis, who expressed to the queen the president's regret
that the unauthorized intervention of the United States had caused her to surrender
her sovereignty. Willis next went to Sanford Dole and the provisional
government, acknowledging the wrong committed by the United States in the
revolution and requested them to resign power and restore the queen. The
answer, of course, was no. They repudiated the right of the American president
to interfere in their domestic affairs and said that if the American forces
illegally assisted the revolution, the provisional government was not
responsible. On Dec. 18, 1893, President Cleveland made an eloquent speech to
Congress on the Hawaiian situation. He had harsh words for the landing of
American troops at the revolutionaries' request:
"This military demonstration upon the soil of
Honolulu was of itself an act of war; unless made either with the consent of
the government of Hawaii or for the bona fide purpose of protecting the
imperiled lives and property of citizens of the United States. But there is no
pretense of any such consent on the part of the government of the queen ... the
existing government, instead of requesting the presence of an armed force,
protested against it. There is as little basis for the pretense that forces
were landed for the security of American life and property. If so, they would
have been stationed in the vicinity of such property and so as to protect it,
instead of at a distance and so as to command the Hawaiian Government Building
and palace. ... When these armed men were landed, the city of Honolulu was in
its customary orderly and peaceful condition. ... "
The president continues:
"But for the notorious predilections of the
United States minister for annexation, the Committee of Safety, which should
have been called the Committee of Annexation, would never have existed.
"But for the landing of the United States forces upon false pretexts
respecting the danger to life and property, the committee would never have
exposed themselves to the plans and penalties of treason by undertaking the
subversion of the queen's government. "But for the presence of the United
States forces in the immediate vicinity and in position to accord all needed
protection and support, the committee would not have proclaimed the provisional
government from the steps of the Government Building. "And, finally, but
for the lawless occupation of Honolulu under false pretexts by the United
States forces, and but for Minister Stevens' recognition of the provisional
government when the United States forces were its sole support and constituted
its only military strength, the queen and her government would never have
yielded to the provisional government, even for a time and for the sole purpose
of submitting her case to the enlightened justice of the United States. ...
"
He further stated:
"... if a feeble but friendly state is in danger of being robbed of its independence and its sovereignty by a misuse of the name and power of the United States, the United States cannot fail to vindicate its honor and its sense of justice by an earnest effort to make all possible reparation." President Cleveland concluded by placing the matter in the hands of Congress. The Senate hearings were conducted by the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, John Tyler Morgan, an annexationist, whose final report managed to find everyone blameless for the revolution except the queen. Many in the Senate disagreed, and the House censured Stevens and passed a resolution opposing annexation. With their goal of annexation stalled, the leaders of the provisional government decided to form a republic, while waiting for a more opportune political climate. Meanwhile, vast tracks of Hawaiian land (including Pearl Harbor) were taken from their rightful owners without compensation by the new government and traded to the United States in exchange for a reduction of the sugar tariff. The United States Navy began to study how they would use the "Unsinkable Battleship Hawaii" in its Pacific commanding location.
(The photo shows one of the many petitions signed
against annexation. These were never shown to the congress that voted to annex
Hawaii.)
The new provisional government drafted a constitution
and declared it law by proclamation - the very act for which they had forced
Liliuokalani from her throne. The new constitution required voters to swear
allegiance to the republic, and thousands of Native Hawaiians refused, out of
loyalty to queen and country. Foreigners who had sided with the revolution were
allowed to vote. Property requirements and other qualifications were so strict
that relatively few Hawaiians and no Asians could vote. On July 4, 1894, (again
pandering to the United States in the hopes of eventual annexation) Sanford
Dole announced the inauguration of the Republic of Hawaii, and declared himself
president. Unwilling to give up, many Hawaiians and other royalists accumulated
arms for a counterrevolution to restore the monarchy. In the January 1895
uprising, led again by Robert Wilcox, the royalists were forced by government troops
to retreat into the valleys behind Honolulu, and after 10 days of fighting,
most of them, including Wilcox, were captured.
The republic's prize catch was Queen Lili`uokalani. A
search revealed a cache of arms buried in the flower garden of her home at
Washington Place (now the state Governor's mansion). She was arrested Jan. 16,
1895, exactly two years from the date the American troops landed in support of
the revolution. Imprisoned in a corner room on the second story of `Iolani
Palace, she was guarded day and night, allowed only one attendant and no
visitors. The windows of her room were painted over to prevent her from seeing
out, and her supporters from seeing in. The paint remains on those windows to
this very day. Lili’uokalani passed the long hours writing music (Lili’uokalani
wrote many of Hawaii's most popular traditional tunes) and quilting.
Lili’uokalani was given a document of abdication to sign and was led to believe
that, if she refused, several of her followers were to be shot for treason. She
wrote, "For myself, I would have chosen death rather than to have signed
it; but it was represented to me that by my signing this paper all the persons
who had been arrested, all my people now in trouble by reason of their love and
loyalty toward me, would be immediately released ... the stream of blood ready
to flow unless it was stayed by my pen." It is worth noting that the
Hawaiian Constitution did not provide a legal process for the Monarch's
abdication and without the approval of the legislature, the document had no
legal validity.
Despite Lili`uokalani's signing of the abdication
document, Wilcox and four others were sentenced to death. Many other royalists
received long prison sentences and heavy fines. Lili’uokalani -noted, ''Their
sentences were passed the same as though my signature had not been obtained.
That they were not executed is due solely to a consideration which has been
officially stated: 'Word came from the United States that the execution of
captive rebels would militate against annexation." In other words, the
Americans who had stolen the government were still lying to the queen to get
what they wanted, stayed from killing Wilcox and the others only by
intercession from the United States, which was still trying to figure out what
its own role was in the fiasco. The queen was charged with misprision of
treason and was given the maximum sentence of five years imprisonment at hard
labor and a $5,000 fine. Out of fear that seeing their Queen at hard labor
would trigger yet another armed revolt among the populace, Lili’uokalani
remained a prisoner in the palace for eight months, then under house arrest
until 1896.
Upon gaining her freedom, Lili’uokalani went to
Washington, armed with documents signed by many Hawaiians asking President
Cleveland to reinstate their queen. But it was now too late for him to be of
further help. His term was over and he could do no more. Grover Cleveland
wrote: "I am ashamed of the whole affair." His successor, President
William McKinley, sent the annexation treaty to the Senate. Hawaiians submitted
a petition to Congress with 29,000 signatures opposing annexation, and
petitions to the Republic of Hawaii, asking that annexation be put to a public
vote. They were never permitted to vote on the issue. In all, three separate
Treaties of Annexation were sent to congress. All three failed. In the end,
Hawaii was annexed by a joint resolution of Congress. But Congress did not have
the legal authority to do so. A joint resolution of Congress has no legal standing
in a foreign country, which is what Hawaii remained, even under the provisional
government.
Sovereignty of Hawaii was formally transferred to the
United States at ceremonies at `Iolani Palace on Aug. 12, 1898. Sanford Dole
spoke as the newly appointed governor of the Territory of Hawaii. The Hawaiian
anthem, ''Hawaii Pono `I" -- with words written by King Kalakaua -- was
played at the Hawaiian flag was lowered, and replaced by the American flag and
"The Star-Spangled Banner." The Hawaiian people had lost their land,
their monarchy and now their independence. The American plantation owners were
now free of the import tariffs; small matter that the Hawaiian people had lost
their independence along the way. Even this act of transfer was illegal under
international, law. Beginning with Dewey's attack at Manila, the international
rules of war went into effect, with Spain and the United States as belligerents
and Hawaii as a neutral nation. Under the Hague convention of 1907, the United
States government was required to enforce Hawaiian law rather than its own, but
failed to do so. By annexing Hawaii without a treaty, then stationing military
forces on the islands, the US, while a belligerent nation in wartime, committed
an unprovoked incursion into a neutral nation and established military forces
there. This is what Hitler did across Europe and Japan did in China. This is an act of war under anyone's laws.
kaluani.jpg)
The following year saw the death of the beautiful
young Princess Kaiulani, heir to the Hawaiian throne, at age 23. With her died
the last hopes for the restoration of the Hawaiian monarchy. To this day,
questions still linger as to exactly how and why such a young and healthy woman
died. Liliuokalani remained an indomitable spirit, honored and revered by her
people as a queen to the end. She died in 1917, at the age of 79, still waiting
for justice. Hawaii remained a territorial possession of the United States for
many years. The military presence illegally begun during the Spanish American
war continued to grow, including the Naval base at Pearl Harbor. The plantation
families grew richer and richer, while the original Hawaiian people were
marginalized, often homeless in their own homelands. The animosity between
Hawaiians and the Americans exploded into public view during the celebrated Ala
Moana Rape case, in which famed lawyer Clarence Darrow argued for the defense.
The thin veneer of a tropic paradise, crafted for the emerging tourist industry
was shattered in moments by the anger shown on both sides.
In 1941, Franklin Delano Roosevelt decided that
the best way to get a reluctant America into a war with Hitler was to
"back door" a war by luring Japan into an attack against the United
States. By cutting off oil exports to Japan, Roosevelt forced Japan to invade
the Dutch East Indies, and by placing the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl, Roosevelt
made an attack at Pearl the mandatory first move in any military move by Japan
in any direction. Following WW2, Hawaii was placed on the list of
non-self-governing territories by the United Nations, with the United States as
trustee, under Article 73. Under Article 73 of the UN charter, the status of a
territory can only be changed by a special vote, called a plebiscite, held
among the inhabitants of the territory. That plebiscite is required to have
three choices on the ballot. The first choice is to become a part of the
trustee nation. In Hawaii's case that meant to become a state. The second
choice was to remain a territory. And the third choice, required by article 73
of the UN Charter, was the option for independence. For Hawaii, that meant no
longer being a territory of the United States and returning to being an independent
sovereign nation.
In 1959 Hawaii's plebiscite vote was held, and again,
the United States government bent the rules. The plebiscite ballot only had the
choice between statehood and remaining a territory. No option for independence
appeared on the ballot as was required under the UN charter. Cheated out of
their independence yet again, Hawaiians voted for the lesser of two evils and
became the 50th state. The history of Hawaii's transition from sovereign nation
to a state of the United States is a history of crime after crime after crime,
of policy put forward by proclamation and reinforced by American weapons of
war, of military incursion, of violations of international law and treaties
then in effect. None of the events which turned Hawaii from a sovereign nation
into a part of the US was legal and above board. It was robbery, by anyone's
definition of the word, with the justifications and excuses made up after the
fact to make the affair palatable to an American public that still wanted to
view its government as fair, just, and honorable.
In 1988, a study by the United States Justice
Department concluded that Congress did not have the authority to annex Hawaii
by joint resolution. The ersatz annexation was a cover for the military
occupation of the Hawaiian islands for purposes related to the Spanish American
War. On November 23, 1993, President Clinton signed United States Public Law
103-150, which not only acknowledged the illegal actions committed by the
United States in the overthrow of the legitimate government of Hawaii, but also
that the Hawaiian people never surrendered their sovereignty. The latter is the
most important part of United States Public Law 103-150 for it makes it quite
clear that the Hawaiian people never legally ceased to be a sovereign separate
independent nation. There is no argument that can change that fact. United
States Public Law 103-150, despite its polite language, is an official
admission that the government of the United States illegally occupies the
territory of the Hawaiian people.
In 1999, the United Nations confirmed that the
plebiscite vote that led to Hawaii's statehood was in violation of article 73
of the United Nations' charter. The Hawaii statehood vote, under treaty then in
effect, was illegal and non-binding. (The same is true of the Alaska
plebiscite). In a world where nations are as governed by laws as are men,
Hawaii is not and has never legally been a part of the United States. Hawaii
was stolen from the Hawaiian people, and they want it back. Unable to argue
against these legal issues calling into question the legitimacy of the United
States presence in Hawaii, supporters of the Status Quo have put forward
various straw-man arguments to justify why, even if the Hawaiian people were
deprived of their government and lands illegally, that things should stay just
the way they are today.
One of the most often-used straw-man arguments is that
a Monarchy limited by a Constitution would be a bad thing. It does not seem to
have harmed England, Monaco, or any of the quite prosperous Saudi Emirates. Two
of Hawaii's Kings were elected to that office by popular vote. No other
Monarchy boasts such a democratic process. And as the Wilcox Rebellions proved,
Hawaiians found life under American rule much less enjoyable than it had been
under Queen Lili`uokalani. Yet another straw-man argument is that Hawaiian
independence would mean the total removal of the American military. This is
nonsense. Those bases are not here for the benefit of Hawaii, but for the
benefit of the US mainland. The American military maintains bases around the
world in foreign nations including Okinawa, Germany, and Cuba. America would
not hesitate to enter into a treaty with the government of an independent
Hawaii to continue to lease its facilities here and there is no reason for the
government of an independent Hawaii to refuse.
Yet another straw-man argument is that were Hawaii
returned to the Hawaiians, that they would be obliged to pay for the
improvements that have been put here since their lands were taken. This too is
nonsense. If a thief steals your car and while it is in his possession paints
it and installs a stereo, are you obliged to compensate the thief for the
improvements when the police return your stolen car to you? Of course not. The
thief put in the improvements on the stolen property for his own benefit, not
yours. Likewise, the improvements made to Hawaii were made to benefit the
overthrowers, not the overthrown. If one wishes to make a case for monies owed
for improvements, let us be fair and include back rents owed for the property
those improvements sit on. The final straw-man argument is that Hawaiian
independence would cause the society in the islands to fall apart. But the
truth is that a new government of an independent Hawaii is well motivated to
NOT change anything; to keep the industry, tourism, high tech, indeed all of
Hawaiian life pretty much as it is now, and to displace or disrupt as little as
possible. Extremists and obvious fear-mongers aside, a transition of Hawaii
from a state to an independent nation would change to who rent checks and taxes
are sent, and little else.
Even the flag of Hawaii would likely remain the same.
Hawaii would lose the massive and complex bureaucracy that connects Hawaii to
the mainland, and Hawaii's citizens would be free of their shares of the $7
trillion-dollar federal debt and its ruinous interest, but who would mourn the
loss? The military bases would still be here. The United States would want
that. So would the government of an independent Hawaii. People would want to
continue running their businesses. The government of an independent Hawaii
would want exactly the same thing. Confusion and discord harm tourism. A new
government of an independent Hawaii is well motivated to keep the islands
serene. But what it really comes down to is whether one believes in justice or
not. It's easy to support justice that works to your own favor, but the true
test of moral citizenship is when you uphold justice even when it is a personal
inconvenience. If one holds that the government of the United States is obliged
to obey the laws and the UN charter it freely signed, then the status of the
Hawaiian people as a distinct and sovereign nation is beyond debate. This makes
the United States in Hawaii, as Gandhi described the British in India, acting
as the masters in someone else's home.
The Full Congressional "Apology Resolution"
to the Kingdom and the People of Hawaii Passed by the US Congress and signed by
President William J. Clinton, November 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.
Whereas, prior to the arrival of the first Europeans
in 1778, the Native Hawaiian people lived in a highly organized, self-sufficient,
subsistent social system based on communal land tenure with a sophisticated
language, culture, and religion;
Whereas, a unified monarchical government of the
Hawaiian Islands was established in 1810 under Kamehameha I, the first King of
Hawaii;
President Cleveland further concluded that a
"substantial wrong has thus been done which a due regard for our national
character as well as the rights of the injured people requires we should
endeavor to repair" and called for the restoration of the Hawaiian
monarchy.
DECLARATION:
Whereas: from 1826 until 1893, the United States
recognized the independence of the Kingdom of Hawaii, extended full and
complete diplomatic recognition to the Hawaiian Government, and entered into
treaties and conventions with the Hawaiian monarchs to govern commerce and
navigation in 1826, 1842, 1849, 1875, and 1887;
Whereas: the Congregational Church (now known as the
United Church of Christ), through its American Board of Commissioners for
Foreign Missions, sponsored and sent more than 100 missionaries to the Kingdom
of Hawaii between 1820 and 1850;
Whereas: on January 14, 1893, John L. Stevens
(hereafter referred to in this Resolution as the "United States
Minister"), the United States Minister assigned to the sovereign and
independent Kingdom of Hawaii conspired with a small group of non-Hawaiian residents
of the Kingdom of Hawaii, including citizens of the United States, to overthrow
the indigenous and lawful Government of Hawaii;
Whereas: in pursuance of the conspiracy to overthrow
the Government of Hawaii, the United States Minister and the naval representatives
of the United States caused armed naval forces of the United States to invade
the sovereign Hawaiian nation on January 16, 1893, and to position themselves
near the Hawaiian Government buildings and the Iolani Palace to intimidate
Queen Liliuokalani and her Government;
Whereas: on the afternoon of January 17,1893, a
Committee of Safety that represented the American and European sugar planters,
descendants of missionaries, and financiers deposed the Hawaiian monarchy and
proclaimed the establishment of a Provisional Government;
Whereas: the United States Minister thereupon extended
diplomatic recognition to the Provisional Government that was formed by the
conspirators without the consent of the Native Hawaiian people or the lawful
Government of Hawaii and in violation of treaties between the two nations and
of international law;
Whereas: soon thereafter, when informed of the risk of
bloodshed with resistance, Queen Liliuokalani issued the following statement
yielding her authority to the United States Government rather than to the
Provisional Government:
"I Liliuokalani, by the Grace of God and under
the Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen, do hereby solemnly protest
against any and all acts done against myself and the Constitutional Government
of the Hawaiian Kingdom by certain persons claiming to have established a
Provisional Government of and for this Kingdom.
"That I yield to the superior force of the United
States of America whose Minister Plenipotentiary, His Excellency John L. Stevens,
has caused United States troops to be landed a Honolulu and declared that he
would support the Provisional Government.
"Now to avoid any collision of armed forces, and
perhaps the loss of life, I do this under protest and impelled by said force
yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States
shall, upon facts being presented to it, undo the action of its representatives
and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the Constitutional Sovereign
of the Hawaiian Islands.".
Done at Honolulu this 17th day of January, A.D. 1893.;
Whereas: without the active support and intervention
by the United States diplomatic and military representatives, the insurrection
against the Government of Queen Liliuokalani would have failed for lack of
popular support and insufficient arms;
Whereas: on February 1, 1893, the United States
Minister raised the American flag and proclaimed Hawaii to be a protectorate of
the United States;
Whereas: the report of a Presidentially established
investigation conducted by former Congressman James Blount into the events
surrounding the insurrection and overthrow of January 17, 1893, concluded that
the United States diplomatic and military representatives had abused their
authority and were responsible for the change in government;
Whereas: as a result of this investigation, the United
States Minister to Hawaii was recalled from his diplomatic post and the
military commander of the United States armed forces stationed in Hawaii was
disciplined and forced to resign his commission;
Whereas: in a message to Congress on December 18,
1893, President Grover Cleveland reported fully and accurately on the illegal
acts of the conspirators, described such acts as an "act of war, committed
with the participation of a diplomatic representative of the United States and
without authority of Congress", and acknowledged that by such acts the
government of a peaceful and friendly people was overthrown;
Whereas: President Cleveland further concluded that a
"substantial wrong has thus been done which a due regard for our national
character as well as the rights of the injured people requires we should
endeavor to repair" and called for the restoration of the Hawaiian
monarchy;
Whereas: the Provisional Government protested
President Cleveland's call for the restoration of the monarchy and continued to
hold state power and pursue annexation to the United States;
Whereas: the Provisional Government successfully
lobbied the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate (hereafter referred to
in this Resolution as the "Committee") to conduct a new investigation
into the events surrounding the overthrow of the monarchy;
Whereas: the Committee and its chairman, Senator John
Morgan, conducted hearings in Washington, D.C., from December 27,1893, through
February 26, 1894, in which members of the Provisional Government justified and
condoned the actions of the United States Minister and recommended annexation
of Hawaii;
Whereas: although the Provisional Government was able
to obscure the role of the United States in the illegal overthrow of the
Hawaiian monarchy, it was unable to rally the support from two-thirds of the
Senate needed to ratify a treaty of annexation;
Whereas: on July 4, 1894, the Provisional Government
declared itself to be the Republic of Hawaii;
Whereas: on January 24, 1895, while imprisoned in
Iolani Palace, Queen Liliuokalani was forced by representatives of the Republic
of Hawaii to officially abdicate her throne;
Whereas: in the 1896 United States Presidential
election, William McKinley replaced Grover Cleveland;
Whereas: on July 7, 1898, as a consequence of the
Spanish-American War, President McKinley signed the Newlands Joint Resolution
that provided for the annexation of Hawaii;
Whereas: through the Newlands Resolution, the
self-declared Republic of Hawaii ceded sovereignty over the Hawaiian Islands to
the United States;
Whereas: the Republic of Hawaii also ceded 1,800,000
acres of crown, government and public lands of the Kingdom of Hawaii, without
the consent of or compensation to the Native Hawaiian people of Hawaii or their
sovereign government;
Whereas: the Congress, through the Newlands
Resolution, ratified the cession, annexed Hawaii as part of the United States,
and vested title to the lands in Hawaii in the United States;
Whereas: the Newlands Resolution also specified that
treaties existing between Hawaii and foreign nations were to immediately cease
and be replaced by United States treaties with such nations;
Whereas: the Newlands Resolution effected the
transaction between the Republic of Hawaii and the United States Government;
Whereas: the indigenous Hawaiian people never directly
relinquished their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people or over
their national lands to the United States, either through their monarchy or
through a plebiscite or referendum;
Whereas: on April 30, 1900, President McKinley signed
the Organic Act that provided a government for the territory of Hawaii and
defined the political structure and powers of the newly established Territorial
Government and its relationship to the United States;
Whereas: on August 21,1959, Hawaii became the 50th
State of the United States;
Whereas: the health and well-being of the Native
Hawaiian people is intrinsically tied to their deep feelings and attachment to
the land;
Whereas: the long-range economic and social changes in
Hawaii over the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries have been devastating
to the population and to the health and well-being of the Hawaiian people;
Whereas: the Native Hawaiian people are determined to
preserve, develop and transmit to future generations their ancestral territory,
and their cultural identity in accordance with their own spiritual and
traditional beliefs, customs, practices, language, and social institutions;
Whereas: in order to promote racial harmony and cultural
understanding, the Legislature of the State of Hawaii has determined that the
year 1993, should serve Hawaii as a year of special reflection on the rights
and dignities of the Native Hawaiians in the Hawaiian and the American
societies;
Whereas: the Eighteenth General Synod of the United
Church of Christ in recognition of the denomination's historical complicity in
the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893 directed the Office of
the President of the United Church of Christ to offer a public apology to the
Native Hawaiian people and to initiate the process of reconciliation between
the United Church of Christ and the Native Hawaiians; and
Whereas: it is proper and timely for the Congress on
the occasion of the impending one hundredth anniversary of the event, to
acknowledge the historic significance of the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom
of Hawaii, to express its deep regret to the Native Hawaiian people, and to
support the reconciliation efforts of the State of Hawaii and the United Church
of Christ with Native Hawaiians;
Now therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND APOLOGY.
The Congress - (1) on the occasion of the 100th
anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii on January 17,
1893, acknowledges the historical significance of this event which resulted in
the suppression of the inherent sovereignty of the Native Hawaiian people;
(2) recognizes and commends efforts of reconciliation
initiated by the State of Hawaii and the United Church of Christ with Native
Hawaiians;
(3) apologizes to Native Hawaiians on behalf of the
people of the United States for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii on
January 17, 1893 with the participation of agents and citizens of the United
States, and the deprivation of the rights of Native Hawaiians to
self-determination;
(4) expresses its commitment to acknowledge the
ramifications of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, in order to provide a
proper foundation for reconciliation between the United States and the Native
Hawaiian people; and
(5) urges the President of the United States to also
acknowledge the ramifications of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and to
support reconciliation efforts between the United States and the Native
Hawaiian people.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Joint Resolution, the term
"Native Hawaiians" means any individual who is a descendent of the
aboriginal people who, prior to 1778, occupied and exercised sovereignty in the
area that now constitutes the State of Hawaii.
SEC. 3. DISCLAIMER.
Nothing in this Joint Resolution is intended to serve as
a settlement of any claims against the United States.
Approved November 23, 1993
*
Mr. Romanoff’s writing has been translated into 32 languages and his
articles posted on more than 150 foreign-language news and politics websites in
more than 30 countries, as well as more than 100 English language platforms.
Larry Romanoff is a retired management consultant and businessman. He has held
senior executive positions in international consulting firms, and owned an
international import-export business. He has been a visiting professor at
Shanghai’s Fudan University, presenting case studies in international affairs
to senior EMBA classes. Mr. Romanoff lives in Shanghai and is currently writing
a series of ten books generally related to China and the West. He is one of the
contributing authors to Cynthia McKinney’s new anthology ‘When China Sneezes’.
(Chapt. 2 — Dealing with Demons):
https://www.bluemoonofshanghai.com/politics/2187/.
His full archive can be seen at
https://www.bluemoonofshanghai.com/ + https://www.moonofshanghai.com/
He can be contacted at:
2186604556@qq.com
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