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Political status of Hawai‘i
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1843–1893: international recognition of Kingdom of Hawai‘i
as an independent and sovereign nation-state
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1893: Queen Lili‘uokalani deposed by annexationists
Sanford B. Dole | Lorrin A. Thurston | Committee of Safety
and indirectly by actions of U.S. minister (ambassador) John L. Stevens
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Hawaiian nationalists have disputed the annexationist official
United States position on the legal status of Hawai‘i ever since. However,
the international community has always recognized the legitimacy of
the Hawaiian Revolution of 1/17/1893.
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Annexationist view
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Nationalist view
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Revolution, purely internal
Stated goal: U.S. annexation
1893 Provisional Government
1894 Republic of Hawaiʻi, recognized
by all other countries, hence legitimate
1895 Queen signs abdication document,
swears allegiance to the Republic
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Invasion, broke treaties; coup d'état
Start of white-supremist oligarchy
Illegitimate: no consent of governed
Popular unrest; 1895 Wilcox rebellion
Queen acted to save lives; individual
cannot end existence of nation-state
1897 Anti-annexation petitions
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View supported in U.S. by:
Presidents Harrison & McKinley
President Grover Cleveland post 2/26/1894
John Tyler Morgan
The Morgan Report of 2/26/1894
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View supported in U.S. by:
President Grover Cleveland 12/18/1893 letter
James Henderson Blount
The Blount Report of 7/17/1893
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After outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, the U.S. covets Hawai‘i
as a base for waging war in the Philippines / asserting control of the Pacific
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1898 Newlands Resolution - annexation by joint
resolution similar to Texas annexation
1900 Organic Act, Territory of Hawai‘i
1903 – first petition for U.S. statehood
by an elected territorial legislature
1910 Lawsuit challenging transfer of
crown lands and legitimacy of Republic
of Hawai‘i dismissed by U.S. Court of Claims
1959 Admission Act, U.S. statehood
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No consent of the governed, Newlands
Resolution not a treaty, hence annexation
void. Sovereignty of Hawai‘ian Kingdom
continues to exist de jure, though no
government is able to exercise it de facto
due to long-term belligerent occupation
by the U.S. beginning in 1898.
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1921 Hawaiian Homelands (50% blood)
1978 Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
established by state constitutional
convention and referendum
1993 Apology Resolution (full text)
2005 (proposed "Akaka Bill") Native
Hawaiian Gov't Reorganization Act
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Reject "native" status within U.S. as
obscuring clear, non-racial concept
of Kingdom citizenship and sub-
stituting a divisive racial concept of
blood quantum instead. Ultimately
(and improperly) trying to fit Hawai‘i
into an "Indian tribe" model
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Legal arguments basic to the two views
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The Republic legitimately tendered
sovereignty to the U.S.; the final
congressional investigation into the matter
which considered all the evidence available,
including the Blount Report
and testimony from Blount himself
found the U.S. peacekeepers in no way aided
in the overthrow. Cleveland, once a staunch
supporter of Queen Liliuokalani, reversed his
stance after the release of the Morgan Report.
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U.S. law is not valid in Hawai‘i, as
international law obliges the U.S. as
occupier to administer the laws of
the Kingdom as occupied country. Cleveland's
reversal and exoneration of the U.S. troops
by Congress do not nullify his earlier
statement of 12/18/1893. Morgan Report
a whitewash, and illegitimate because of the
racism of both some senators, as well as
those giving testimony.
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Large majority vote for statehood
rectifies any earlier lack of consent
and denial of self-determination.
The United Nations decolonization
committee later removed Hawai‘i
from its list of non-self-governing
territories, so the vote should be
seen as legitimate and binding.
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Vote flawed—no UN supervision, no
independence option, no bar to voting
by occupier's military/civilian migrants.
Delisted prematurely, as UN criteria for
self-determination not met. Since U.S.
actions had made Hawai‘i nationals a
minority in their own country, a vote
under such circumstances is a sham
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Related topics: History of Hawaii | Hawaiian sovereignty movement
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