World History
Scott Crawford has an interesting post about democracy in Hawaii in Response to Twigg-Smith - Thurston and "Republic" = anti-democratic. In it, he deplores how the Hawaiian Kingdom ended without a democratic vote.
Crawford writes, "The truth is that the provisional government, the so-called republic, and the U.S. occupation were forced upon the people of Hawaii against their will and without their consent."
Crawford's view of Hawaiian history is one-sided. It ignores primary sources which do not support his views. It ignores that fact that the Hawaiian Kingdom was imposed upon the majority of Hawaii without the consent of Hawaiians by King Kamehameha. (I guess that means the Hawaiian Kingdom was never valid...) It ignores democracy in the 20th century because the "wrong" people voted.
Thurston Twigg-Smith, whom Crawford is attempting to rebut, notes this. If Kamehameha's conquest by non-democratic means was legitimate, why was not the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom? Twigg-Smith wrote, "The test is how things progressed from the date of illegitimacy. The 18th-century residents of Oahu and the other islands he conquered accepted Kamehameha as their new king, and the residents of 19th-century Hawaii accepted the Republic of Hawaii as their new government."
Crawford appears to miss this point entirely. Are only non-democratic events in history you retrospectively like legit? Despite this, I believe Mr. Crawford is actually speaking up for democracy and would respect a democratic vote today.
I believe in democracy as well. Governments should not be imposed upon a people without their consent. I also believe that people should not have a southern style "grandfather clause" placed upon them to determine whether or not they are "really" a citizen of a locality.
If any changes in the status of Hawaii are to ever be enacted, they must also be enacted with the consent and the will of the people of Hawaii. Any defect in how things were changed in the 19th century does not justify denying citizens their rights in the 21st century. The citizens of Hawaii have a right to determine their own fate regardless of what happened between people who lived and died long before they were born. Beware anyone who seeks to deny anyone their suffrage by trying to determine the status of their ancestors in the 19th century.
Let's not impose a government on the people of Hawaii without "their will and without their consent." Democracy can indeed work. But only if everyone votes. Excluding people based on 19th century events would assure a non-democratic process and sow the seeds of chaos and probable violence.
History is indeed informative to today. Mistakes in the democratic process in the past (as evidenced by Kamehameha and later by the rebel forces in Hawaii in 1893), need not be repeated in the future in Hawaii. Let us hope the lessons have been learned.
- Kamehameha Statue
(King Kamehameha Statue in Honolulu, January 2008) On my recent visit to Hawaii, I had the honor of seeing the famous Kamehameha Statue in Honolulu. It is right across the street from 'Iolani Palace which is the only royal palace in the United States....
- 'iolani Palace: Hawaiian Capitol Building
('Iolani Palace, 6 January 2008.)I was very fortunate to have the time to visit 'Iolani Palace during my recent visit to Honolulu, Hawaii. The tour guide who had taken me to Pearl Harbor drove through different parts of Honolulu and he dropped...
- Sanford B. Dole's 160th Birthday April 23, 2004
Dole's 160th Birthday April 23, 2004. This is an essay which examines the Hawaiian media coverage of Sanford B. Dole's 160th birthday. Dole was the first and only President of the Republic of Hawaii and under his leadership the Hawaiian people...
- History Of Hawaii
History of Hawaii. This is a decent (although uneven) history of the American state of Hawaii. Of particular interest is the last paragraph which takes aim at the Hawaiian Independence (separatist) Movement. Hawaiian independence from the USA is no more...
- Hawaii's Royalty On Stamps
Hawaii's Royalty on Stamps Brief information about the Kingdom of Hawaii, the Kamehameha kings, and their portrayal on stamps between 1853 and 1892. From the site: The Kingdom of Hawaii issued stamps from 1851 to 1892. Then after a coup, Hawaii's...
World History
Democracy in Hawaii
Scott Crawford has an interesting post about democracy in Hawaii in Response to Twigg-Smith - Thurston and "Republic" = anti-democratic. In it, he deplores how the Hawaiian Kingdom ended without a democratic vote.
Crawford writes, "The truth is that the provisional government, the so-called republic, and the U.S. occupation were forced upon the people of Hawaii against their will and without their consent."
Crawford's view of Hawaiian history is one-sided. It ignores primary sources which do not support his views. It ignores that fact that the Hawaiian Kingdom was imposed upon the majority of Hawaii without the consent of Hawaiians by King Kamehameha. (I guess that means the Hawaiian Kingdom was never valid...) It ignores democracy in the 20th century because the "wrong" people voted.
Thurston Twigg-Smith, whom Crawford is attempting to rebut, notes this. If Kamehameha's conquest by non-democratic means was legitimate, why was not the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom? Twigg-Smith wrote, "The test is how things progressed from the date of illegitimacy. The 18th-century residents of Oahu and the other islands he conquered accepted Kamehameha as their new king, and the residents of 19th-century Hawaii accepted the Republic of Hawaii as their new government."
Crawford appears to miss this point entirely. Are only non-democratic events in history you retrospectively like legit? Despite this, I believe Mr. Crawford is actually speaking up for democracy and would respect a democratic vote today.
I believe in democracy as well. Governments should not be imposed upon a people without their consent. I also believe that people should not have a southern style "grandfather clause" placed upon them to determine whether or not they are "really" a citizen of a locality.
If any changes in the status of Hawaii are to ever be enacted, they must also be enacted with the consent and the will of the people of Hawaii. Any defect in how things were changed in the 19th century does not justify denying citizens their rights in the 21st century. The citizens of Hawaii have a right to determine their own fate regardless of what happened between people who lived and died long before they were born. Beware anyone who seeks to deny anyone their suffrage by trying to determine the status of their ancestors in the 19th century.
Let's not impose a government on the people of Hawaii without "their will and without their consent." Democracy can indeed work. But only if everyone votes. Excluding people based on 19th century events would assure a non-democratic process and sow the seeds of chaos and probable violence.
History is indeed informative to today. Mistakes in the democratic process in the past (as evidenced by Kamehameha and later by the rebel forces in Hawaii in 1893), need not be repeated in the future in Hawaii. Let us hope the lessons have been learned.
- Kamehameha Statue
(King Kamehameha Statue in Honolulu, January 2008) On my recent visit to Hawaii, I had the honor of seeing the famous Kamehameha Statue in Honolulu. It is right across the street from 'Iolani Palace which is the only royal palace in the United States....
- 'iolani Palace: Hawaiian Capitol Building
('Iolani Palace, 6 January 2008.)I was very fortunate to have the time to visit 'Iolani Palace during my recent visit to Honolulu, Hawaii. The tour guide who had taken me to Pearl Harbor drove through different parts of Honolulu and he dropped...
- Sanford B. Dole's 160th Birthday April 23, 2004
Dole's 160th Birthday April 23, 2004. This is an essay which examines the Hawaiian media coverage of Sanford B. Dole's 160th birthday. Dole was the first and only President of the Republic of Hawaii and under his leadership the Hawaiian people...
- History Of Hawaii
History of Hawaii. This is a decent (although uneven) history of the American state of Hawaii. Of particular interest is the last paragraph which takes aim at the Hawaiian Independence (separatist) Movement. Hawaiian independence from the USA is no more...
- Hawaii's Royalty On Stamps
Hawaii's Royalty on Stamps Brief information about the Kingdom of Hawaii, the Kamehameha kings, and their portrayal on stamps between 1853 and 1892. From the site: The Kingdom of Hawaii issued stamps from 1851 to 1892. Then after a coup, Hawaii's...