9/11 (1897) - Hawaiian resistance to Annexation

In 1897 an organization called the Hawaiian Patriotic League (Hui Aloha ‘Aina), with men’s and women’s branches, organized a petition drive to protest the proposed annexation of Hawaii to the United States.

The petition read as follows:

PETITION AGAINST ANNEXATION

To His Excellency William McKinley, President, and the Senate of the United States of America:

Greetings-

Whereas, there has been submitted to the Senate of the United States of America a Treaty for the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands, to the said United States of America, for consideration at the regular session, A.D. December 1897; therefore:

We, the undersigned, native Hawaiian subjects and residents who are members of the Hawaiian Patriotic League of the Hawaiian Islands, and other women/men who are in sympathy with said League, earnestly protest against the annexation of the said Hawaiian Islands to the said United States of America in any form or shape.

In a matter of weeks, traveling by boat to different islands and by mule to remote areas, the league had gathered over 21,000 signatures - men’s and women’s in about equal numbers. Consider that the population of Native Hawaiians at the time was less than 40,000! (Another organization, the Hui Kalai’aina, also conducted their own petition drive at the same time, collecting about 17,000 signatures, although there was likely some overlap.)

Now, in case you were wondering, the relevance to this particular day in history is that the petitions were certified by the President and Secretary of the respective branches of the League by a signature affixed on every single page of the petition with the date: Sept. 11th, 1897.

The Hawaiian Patriotic League petition was submitted to the senate, and, along with protests from the Queen, effectively prevented the passage of the annexation treaty. The following year, under the exigencies of the Spanish-American War, Congress purported to annex Hawaii through a mere joint resolution, requiring a simple majority rather than the two-thirds required for a treaty. This was an internal domestic law imposed on a foreign territory. Imagine how much legitimacy it would be given today if Congress simply passed a joint resolution claiming to annex Iraq. None. But that is exactly how they claim to have acquired Hawaii.

These petitions were then lost to history, but in 1997, one hundred years after the petitions were filed, they were uncovered in the national archives, and placed on public display in Hawaii.

Now realize for a moment that if over half the population of Hawaiians signed the petition, that means that literally pretty much every single Hawaiian person alive today can find at least one of their ancestor’s signatures on this petition. Try to imagine the profound impact this has. Other people may say it was so long ago, it is ancient history, etc. But to people who find that their grandmother or great-grandfather, or in some cases numerous ancestors in different branches of their family, all stood up and spoke out and resisted the American occupation and annexation of their country, this has had a profound catalyzing effect to bring history to life in a very personal way and reenergize the resistance today.

And by the way, legal opinion issued by the Justice Department in 1988 (under Reagan) stated:

It is therefore unclear which constitutional power Congress exercised when it acquired Hawaii by joint resolution.

Another way of saying there is no such constitutional power.

Please read more background of this fascinating piece of history, which oddly connects with 9/11, and view copies of the actual petition here, at the University of Hawaii Library Special Collections website:

http://libweb.hawaii.edu/digicoll/annexation/petition.html

Posted: Sat - September 11, 2004 at 08:21 AM

getBlogName(); > getCategoryName("C1126750129"); >

9/11 (1897) - Hawaiian resistance to Annexation

> >