20 years ago today President Clinton signed the “Apology Bill” (U.S. Public Law 103-150) for the Unites States’ illegal invasion of the internationally recognized Hawaiian Kingdom and overthrow of its lawful government 100 years earlier.
The bill is not entirely accurate. For example, while acknowledging that Hawaii was a fully recognized independent country, in an attempt to define the situation within U.S. domestic laws and “Native American” framework, it offers the apology only to the Native Hawaiian people, when the Kingdom had subjects of all races who were born in Hawaii or naturalized.
But it is nevertheless an important document, and despite being “just a resolution” is still an admission against interest with legal ramifications that is worth re-reading again today, 20 years later.
“Newlands” was just a resolution also. cheers.