The Annexation of Hawaii

It was on this day in 1898 that the Hawaiian flag was lowered from Iolani Palace and replaced by the flag of the United States of America, signifying the transfer of sovereignty to the American government from the short-lived formality that was the Hawaiian Republic, a legal fiction which had served as a stepping stone from the former Kingdom of Hawaii to the island chain becoming a U.S. Territory. How had it all happened? It was certainly not like other examples of colonial expansion but for all of that it does serve as a more easily understood lesson to what many modern monarchies (and republics) are in danger of succumbing to. The Kingdom of Hawaii was not actually conquered by the United States, rather, it was lost due to a slow process of demographic decline, an increasingly different population not loyal to the Hawaiian Crown and finally by this new population using their power to take control of the country and make it a part of the country they had come from.

Unlike some other parts of the world, western (in this case American) forces did not come to topple a primitive and barbaric heathen people to save them from darkness and suffering. Hawaii had its own savage history to be sure, but all of that was a distant memory long before 1898. King Kamehameha the Great subdued the other chiefs of the islands, uniting them under his rule and ending the many years of sporadic warfare between the Hawaiian people. This was the start of the establishment of the Kingdom of Hawaii. In 1819 he was succeeded by his son King Kamehameha II and it was during his reign that Protestant Christian missionaries came to Hawaii from the United States. They converted the Royal Family to Christianity and this, in turn, brought an end to certain native customs and taboos which were barbaric. With the 1840 Constitution of King Kamehameha III, the Kingdom of Hawaii officially became a Protestant Christian monarchy. Catholic and even Mormon missionaries arrived later but never attracted many converts. The Kingdom of Hawaii was not a country of ignorant primitives when Americans started to arrive on its shores in growing numbers, rather it was a civilized, though simple, Christian monarchy with all of the trappings of any other well established sovereign kingdom.

Then, more and more Americans started coming to Hawaii but the native population, previously reduced by wars and diseases brought by the first European visitors to the islands, was assured that this was a good thing. The Americans bought land from the natives, employed them and caused the economy to prosper. Members of the Royal Family married Americans and any concern that the Hawaiians were being displaced in their own country were hushed up by those who stood to benefit. To be welcoming was the order of the day and to think about the economic prosperity all of these newcomers brought with them. King Kalakaua, a jovial man, embraced this attitude and encouraged more foreign workers to come to Hawaii during his reign, which started in 1874. He signed an agreement with the United States that proved very beneficial and granted the U.S. Navy the use of Pearl Harbor for the establishment of a base and port facilities. He had big plans, encouraged his people to be educated abroad and when Britain and Germany started expanding in the Pacific, envisioned the Kingdom of Hawaii forming a Polynesian Confederation to block them. However, King Kalakaua found out that the many foreigners he had appointed to high office were more loyal to their own people than they were to him.

In 1887, fearing the King was about to take more direct control of matters, the Americans in Hawaii staged a sort of armed uprising and forced King Kalakaua to sign a new constitution, thereafter known as the "Bayonet Constitution" which stripped the monarch of almost all of his powers. The Kingdom of Hawaii was still to be democratic of course but the franchise was restricted to those who owned land and, by this time, most of the land was owned by Americans. Furthermore, in the interest of goodwill and compassion of course, Americans were allowed to retain the U.S. citizenship while still being nominal subjects of the King of Hawaii. In many ways, the fate of the Hawaiian kingdom was sealed then and there and King Kalakaua died a bewildered man, bitter at his betrayal by the foreigners he had believed were his friends, who had always assured him that their presence and growing influence in the kingdom was for the best and would benefit everyone in the end. It was, of course, not true. They were Americans and not Hawaiians, their first loyalty was to the United States and not the King of Hawaii, their kinship was with those like themselves and not those native to the islands.

Even today there is a degree of mystery that hangs around how all of this was accomplished. Why had the King only encouraged more foreigners to come to Hawaii when clearly his own people were being displaced in their own country and the American influence grew ever stronger. One shady individual many have questioned was one Elias Rosenberg, who appeared one day and was quickly appointed King Kalakaua's chief adviser and who disappeared only three weeks before the "Bayonet Constitution" was forced on the kingdom. In any event, the King died in 1891, leaving the throne to his sister Queen Liliuokalani. Her reign was not to be a long one. Immediately, she began working on replacing the "Bayonet Constitution" with a new government framework which would restore some of the powers of the monarchy as well as broadening the franchise among the native Hawaiian population. Unfortunately, there were already too many Americans and they had too much power for this attempt to turn back the clock to succeed. The foreign population reacted swiftly and launched a republican coup in 1893 to prevent the Queen from changing the constitution. Sailors and Marines from a nearby U.S. warship intervened to prevent any disorder, naturally siding with their own countrymen. Queen Liliuokalani was deposed and a republic was declared which immediately sought annexation to the United States of America.

In 1895 the Hawaiians attempted a counter-revolution to overthrow the republic and put the Queen back on the throne. Needless to say, this was again too little, too late as the American presence had long become far too large and too powerful to dislodge. The uprising was crushed at its outset and Queen Liliuokalani was arrested and put in prison. However, by the following year, the republic pardoned the Queen and released her, being in full control they had nothing to fear from her being at liberty. The native Hawaiian population had, by then, become too greatly displaced to ever pose a threat to the new American regime. A year later, in 1897, the President of the United States signed the treaty of annexation (thus making Hawaii only the second U.S. state, after Texas, to join the Union by treaty) with the official ceremony being held the following year on August 12. Queen Liliuokalani spent the rest of her life in legal battles with the U.S. government, trying to obtain compensation for her loss, mostly to no avail. She was finally granted a pension of $1,250 a month in 1911 but by that time she did not have long to collect as she died in 1917.

The Hawaiian Royal Family is still around today, the current leader of the family being a former member of the state legislature for the Republican Party, his election being rather unusual for what is possibly the most solidly Democrat Party state in the country. In the 1990's the U.S. government, in the person of President Bill Clinton, did officially apologize for the American takeover of the Kingdom of Hawaii but, of course, that accomplishes nothing and it never means much when someone apologizes for something he or she did not do to people who were themselves not the actual victims. Nothing changed. After many years as a U.S. territory, Hawaii became the 50th state of the Union in 1959. Bad laws can be repealed, mistaken policies can be corrected but demographic changes can never be undone and Hawaii is a perfect example of this hard fact. As of 2010 only 10% of the population has any native Hawaiian or even any Polynesian ancestry at all whereas the majority is of foreign descent, primarily the 39% Asian and 25% European/American with the rest being of mixed ancestry or smaller groups. Many are content with this situation, but many are not, however, they are far too few to have much of an impact on the democratic process. The natives of the Kingdom of Hawaii have proven the truth that, "demography is destiny".

Flag Day in Hawaii

Today is flag day in the state (and former kingdom) of Hawaii or Ka Hae Hawaii day. Among the state flags of the United States, Hawaii stands out. It looks like it belongs but not in the present day. It looks more like a flag from New England during the move towards independence. Indeed, there were flags used by New England regiments in the War for Independence that were very similar, almost identical. However, the state flag of Hawaii is, like the flag of Texas, the same flag as had been the national flag of Hawaii. It was intentionally made to reflect the styles of both the British Empire and the United States, the two foreign powers the Kingdom of Hawaii had most contact with. Originally, of course, Hawaii was not a country and no one had a flag or even really an idea of what one was. It was a totally foreign concept. However, that all changed with the arrival of the British and the Hawaiians took their example from the British. When King Kamehameha I united the Hawaiian islands into a single country under his rule, he used the British flag and the Red Ensign remained the only national flag used by the Kingdom of Hawaii until 1816.

By that time, things were changing around the world. The United States of America had established itself as a power that was here to stay and was starting to make contact with other nations around the world. Some stories say that the U.S. objected to the King flying a British flag during the War of 1812 but that is doubtful. In any event, advisers did warn the King that flying the flag of a foreign power, even an ally (as they regarded the British), was bound to cause problems with other foreign powers. So, the Hawaiians wanted a distinct flag of their own but one that would also show their friendship with United States as well as reflecting their history of close relations or protectorate status with the British Empire. The result was the Hawaiian flag as we know it today, the Union Jack in the canton as a reference to Great Britain and the field of stripes as a reference to the style of the American flag. The alternating white, red and blue stripes, eight in total, represent the eight inhabited islands of the Kingdom of Hawaii; Hawai'i, O'ahu, Kaua'i, Kaho'olawe, Lana'i, Maui, Moloka'i and Ni'ihau. This standardization of the number of stripes to represent the islands was done by King Kamehameha III.

The Kingdom of Hawaii was later overthrown in a U.S.-backed coup by American settlers who proclaimed a republic, however, rather like the short-lived "Republic of California" it was never regarded as a legitimate country, recognized by foreign powers but was simply a stepping stone on the road to annexation as a U.S. Territory. That happened on August 12, 1898 and so the flag of the Kingdom of Hawaii was retained and continued in use throughout the period and after Hawaii was accepted as a state of the Union on August 21, 1959 and on to today. The current heir to the throne of Hawaii is Quentin Kawananakoa or Prince Kawananakoa, who followed the tradition of his family in being involved in politics as a member of the Republican Party. Hawaii, however, being a very liberal, pro-Democrat state, some Hawaiian natives have rejected him because of this and give their support to members of other family lines whose political views are less conservative and more in line with their own.

Favorite Royal Images: Kamehameha the Great

It was on this day in 1785 that King Kamehameha I triumphed over his enemies to establish the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Twilight of Royal Hawaii

It was on this day in 1893 that American Marines from the USS Boston landed in Honolulu in order to prevent HM Queen Liliuokalani from abrogating the "bayonet constitution". This military intervention was the first step in the United States taking direct control of the Hawaiian islands. The "bayonet" constitution of 1887 had been forced on HM King David Kalakaua after an armed uprising led by prominent American businessmen on the islands such as Sanford B. Dole. The King asked for help from the ambassadors of foreign countries on Hawaii but they advised the King to comply with the demands of the rebels. Left without hope of aid the King had no choice but to sign the new constitution into law which greatly reduced the power of the Hawaiian monarchy. Although, on paper, the new constitution seemed to bring with it greater democracy and restrictions on "royal tyranny", as is so often the case this was actually far from the reality of the situation. Actually, the new constitution brought with it a very restricted franchise which effectively allowed only the very wealthy landowners to have political power. Since, by this time, most native Hawaiians had very little and almost all the land belonged to the wealthy foreign businessmen the new constitution meant that, from then on, the American population would rule the islands.

The monarchy, even by that point, had become the only guardians of the rights and welfare of the Hawaiian people and by the terms of the "bayonet constitution" the monarch was made almost totally powerless. On January 14th the Americans formed a Committee of Public Safety (a name that should make any monarchist recoil in horror) with the intention of overthrowing Queen Liliuokalani and seeing Hawaii annexed to the United States. The Queen was suspected (rightly) of wishing to abrogate the constitution and replacing it with one that would allow for greater representation by the native Hawaiians. The U.S. Marines were then called to the legation supposedly to protect American lives and property in a neutral capacity but the effect was that the Queen could take no action against the American rebels who were openly advocating treason against the Hawaiian kingdom. Seeing no other option, on January 17 the Queen reluctantly abdicated to "the superior military forces of the United States".

The Queen had hoped that the U.S. government, once made aware of the situation, would see justice done and her throne restored. That was what had happened in the past with the British but it would not be the case this time. Too many people in power in the States had already decided that America had to have Hawaii, not only for the business interests on the islands but also for their strategic value in the Pacific so that no other power would take control of them later. The Queen would never be restored and on July 4, 1894 (the symbolism of the date being obvious) the "independence" of the Republic of Hawaii was declared with Sanford Dole chosen as the president. It was, of course, a complete farce and everyone knew it. Hawaii at once became an American protectorate and later a U.S. territory before finally being admitted as a state in the Union.

Pretender Profile: Prince Quentin of Hawaii

The United States of America is home to a number of leaders of the traditional variety, but none ever achieved the status of an independent, internationally recognized kingdom like the state of Hawaii did. Hawaii is unique in that regard, being the only state in the union that was an independent monarchy prior to admission and thus it is the only state that is home to an official royal palace that once housed a royal family. It is not then surprising that the (generally recognized) heir to the Hawaiian throne is unique among royal pretenders. The native Hawaiian community (actually a tiny minority on the islands these days) recognize him as royalty but, rest assured unionists, he makes no claim to his rightful throne nor does he push for the secession of Hawaii and restoration of the monarchy.

The would-be King of Hawaii was born Quentin Kuhio Kawananakoa on September 28, 1961 in San Francisco, California to Prince Edward A. Kawananakoa and Carolyn Willison Kawananakoa. His great-grandfather was the successor of the last Queen of Hawaii as head of the royal family, though the status of Prince Quentin is contested by his ninth cousin twice removed, Prince Kalokuokamaile III from a much older branch of the family. Prince Quentin grew up with his parents in Honolulu where he was educated before attending the University of Southern California. After graduation he returned to Hawaii to go to the William S. Richardson School of Law from which he graduated and worked with a local law firm in O’ahu until 2000.

In 1994 he entered the political arena in Hawaii running as a member of the Republican Party for the office of state representative. His platform was pretty standard for the GOP, capitalism, free enterprise, low taxes and the like. He won the election and served in the Hawaii State House of Representatives until 1998, becoming a leading figure in the Republican Party of Hawaii. A year after taking office he married Elizabeth Broun of Barbados and in the years that followed the couple have had two children, both sons, Kincaid and Riley.

On July 29, 1997 Prince Quentin became head of the Hawaiian royal family, despite having two older brothers. The firstborn, Prince Edward, was extremely handicapped and so was excluded from the succession by his father and the second son, Prince David, renounced his rights in favor of his younger brother Quentin who took his place upon the death of their father. His political star continued to rise and he decided to run for Congress but retired from politics for a time after a health scare. For the next eight years he recovered and kept a low profile before announcing his return to politics by challenging Congressman Ed Case for his seat in the U.S. Congress in April of 2006. However, during the Republican Party primary Prince Quentin was defeated by State Senator Robert Hogue by a slim margin. Hogue himself went on to be defeated by the Democrat Party candidate Mazie Hirono (Hawaii being generally a very liberal state).

In 2008 Prince Quentin tried to get his old job back and ran for the State House of Representatives again but lost to the Democrat Chris Kalani Lee. Prince Quentin attends numerous native Hawaiian festivities during the year, sits on a number of significant boards and committees and the like. He also oversees the extensive properties of the late James Campbell (an American industrialist who married into the native Hawaiian nobility).

MM Video: Kingdom of Hawaii

It was on this day in 1959 that President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an executive order proclaiming Hawaii the 50th state of the Union. Given that, it is fitting to look back on the era of monarchial glory that was the independent Kingdom of Hawaii.

Loss of the Kingdom of Hawaii

Pictured at left is one of the more forgotten royal pretenders in the world, Prince Quentin of Hawaii, head of the Kawanakoa royal family and a politician of the Republican Party in the state of Hawaii. He does not actively campaign for the restoration of the Hawaiian monarchy though he does advocate native rights and the preservation of Hawaiian culture. The Kingdom of Hawaii was destroyed in 1893 following a coup by European and American immigrants with the backing of the United States Navy which had an eye already on Pearl Harbor as an ideal naval base in the south Pacific. The last monarch of Hawaii, Queen Liliuokalani, had angered the foreign presence in Hawaii, by then the majority and which held almost all of the land and all political power, because she had tried to restore the traditional rights of the native Hawaiian people and because she tried to restore her royal authority to refuse royal assent. The result was a "Committee of Public Safety" taking a note right from the pages of the French Revolution and so many others since. Because of the presence of U.S. troops the Queen dared not take action against the immigrants and so was quickly deposed and the unrecognized republican government that was proclaimed afterward was immediately annexed by the United States. Queen Liliuoakalani hoped that once the U.S. government learned what had occurred they would restore her to her throne but her faith proved misplaced.

Today not many think about Hawaii and even the most zealous monarchist would feel somewhat depressed about the chances of success there, even though there are many native Hawaiians who would like to see independence and the monarchy restored. However, there are many more who are more afraid of endangering the many benefits of social welfare they recieve from the United States and the Hawaiian natives altogether are today a tiny minority of the population of Hawaii. The vast majority are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants from the mainland, from Europe and especially from Asia. Among these groups there is practically zero support for independence or for the restoration of the monarchy. It is unfortunate but understandable as they have no real connection with the people of Hawaii, their monarchy, their history and their national identity which was quite different prior to the arrival of floods of outsiders.

Keeping that situation of the former Kingdom of Hawaii in mind, I remember that today is the anniversary of that infamous speech by British Tory MP Enoch Powell which warned of the danger of having massive numbers of foreign immigrants coming into his own country and being given special considerations and rights that the locals do not have. Of course Enoch Powell is so widely despised today that his name has almost become an insult itself. However, I would simply ask the thinking person to consider the demographic changes in Britain (and other countries for that matter), the London bombings, the riots and the demonstrations demanding Sharia law etc in the UK and then ask the question whether the United Kingdom could ever go the way of the Kingdom of Hawaii. No group of people being inherently superior to another it would be the height of arrogance to think that a virus which killed one monarchy could not infect another.