The Pearl Harbor experience reinforces the popular national notion of American innocence, while the guided tour of the ‘Iolani Palace provides a tale of how the United States government and business interests participated in the overthrow of legitimate Hawaiian authority. Conflicting narratives of American innocence and imperialism in the history of Hawaii obviously have larger implications for how the Untied States is perceived in the world today.
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The narrative of Pearl Harbor is well known, and the Arizona is a worthy memorial and tourist destination. But the story of Lili’uokalani and the ‘Iolani Palace remains off the beaten path. Disregarding the troubled history of the Hawaiian monarchy distorts the American presence in paradise. History never takes a holiday, and an unquestioning acceptance of the American myth of innocence in Hawaii may cloud perceptions of the complicated international milieu in which we live and work.