Midterm 2

By
Gabrielle Campbell

Asian American Pacific American Studies (APA) 200:
Introduction to Asian Pacific American Studies #87358
Instructor: Joanna L. Rondilla, Ph.D.
November 5, 2013

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When there is light shed on the history of the native Hawaiian people some can not help but agree with what Haunani- Kay Trask is taking about in her book “From a Native Daughter”, because the American people just looked at the Hawaiian Islands for themselves not in the interest of the Hawaiian people. Their interest got to the point that the United States annexed their islands. The Hawaiian people were not being helped or taken care of, but they were people being imperialized. This imperialization was recognized by the United States though did they do anything about it and learn from their wrong doings?

The idea that the Hawaiian people needing help is a thing someone should laugh at, for before Captain James Cook came to explore there islands the Hawaiian people were a flourishing society. In the words of Trask “he brought diseases that ravaged my people until we were but a remnant of what we had been on contact with his pestilential crew”. From this moment in time there society as they now it will fall, they have become weak in there very soul. When America found out that the English went to Hawaii and brought disease they suddenly became very interested with the island and wanted to dominate the sandalwood trade. This is when the Jehovah witnesses came into the islands and decided to convert the people of Hawai’i. From here the Hawaiian people converted believing it would help save their people from dying, which it did not. They changed their way of life for this new found religion, everything in their culture started to change, they were not allowed to listen to traditional music, dance or celebrate

Campbell 3 traditional holidays. By 1890 the native population decreased too less then 40,000 by way of illness.

Once the cultural change took place American businessmen charged into Hawaii. From here the Tyler Doctrine was introduced in 1842, which stated that Hawaii was a “U.S. sphere of influence” which basically told all of Europe to keep there hands off. This is one of the major examples on how America did not look into Hawai’i for the Native Hawaiians best interest but in their best interest for the American government instead. That they were only looking into the benefits of themselves thinking that they deserved this island much like what happened with the Native Americans. An example of this is when U.S House of Committee made a manifest Destiny statement to the Tyler Doctrine, stating “American should acknowledge their own interest” they also suggested that in Hawai’i “virtual right of conquest” over the “mind and heart” of the Hawaiian people. This is the very first unlawful thing the United States did concerning the Native Hawaiians. Out of nowhere they took this uneducated people in the ways of western civilization and used that to their advantage. From this doctrine it gave way to many new settlers to find there way into the Hawaiian Islands.

From outer influences in Hawaii the culture of the land changed no longer do they follow there traditional ways of life but formed into the western culture on life. In 1848 the Mahele
Campbell 4 allowed foreigners to own their own land. From this the concept of owning land has been put into place and now foreigners are allowed to own land in Hawaii, by 1888 three quarters of arable land was owned by haole. This is when the Hawaii league, which was made up of white sugar planters, wanted the United States to Annex Hawaii. The annex did no go through, though the king of Hawaii at the time did want to make some form of peace on his land. So he made up the Reciprocity Treaty, this would satisfy the planters and protects the Hawaiian independence, with this treaty in place the United State, France, and Britain would agree to respect and maintain the independence of Hawai’i, this treaty died when brought to the U.S. Senate. Given the chance to let Hawai’i be it’s own people again the U.S. shot them down. Why is it that this Treaty did not go through in Senate, was it not in there best enough interest? America says it wants to keep peace but at a time when peace is needed and will happen if let be, they don’t let it happen, instead held back.

In 1872 Kalakaua whom is pro-American takes the throne and agrees to negotiate a reciprocity treaty. With this new treaty now in place and the sugar plantation on the rise, it opened a portal of immigration to the Hawaiian Islands. There was a mass demand for plantation workers and they were coming in from all over Asia. This new immigration brought the native population to less then half of the population while haole and Asians were 55% of the

Campbell 5 population. This was not the only thing in favor to the U.S that Kalakaua put into action during his rain of power. In 1887 Kalakaua was forced to give up Peal Lagoon to the United States. He did this in exchange for duty-free sugar for the sugar plantation owners. Giving up Pearl Lagoon was accomplished as a result of the aptly named “Bayonet Constitution”, this constitution proclaimed that the ministry was no longer responsible to the King, but to the legislation. This legislation was also called the “Hawaiian League” which was made up of all white, armed businesses men. This was possible for Native Hawaiians were not eligible to be apart of the legislation, because they did not meet the criteria to be apart of it.

Once this new constitution was put in place James Blount was sent into Hawaii to investigate the overthrow of the Hawaiian government, he wrote:

Power was taken from the King in the selection of nobles, not to be given to the masses but to the wealthy classes, a large majority of whom were not subject of the kingdom. Power to remove the Cabinet was taken away from the King not to be conferred on the popular body but on one designed to be ruled by foreign subjects. Power to do any act was taken from the King… This instrument was never submitted to the people for approval or rejection, now was this ever contemplated by its friends and promoter.

This further explains on how the Hawaiian people were subject to being imperialized by the United State. For the definition of Imperialism is a total system of foreign powers in which

Campbell 6 another culture, and people are penetrated to transform by the colonizing society. This is exactly what the United States ended up doing to the Hawaiian people, though this did not go unnoticed by our government. Blount’s report made it to President Cleveland, so we do know what exactly went on in Hawai’i. Though Cleveland did recognize the wrong done by the United States and it’s people he went on saying we have to fix our wrong doings, by this he meant staying in Hawaii and repair it. The United States never did leave Hawai’i and it is now one of their 50 states. So in turn the United States did not learn from the past wrongs with the Native Americans and moved on to doing the same thing to the Native Hawaiians. Today America says that they now there wrongs and look back at history pointing out there major wrong doings on their part. Though when they talk about there wrong doings Hawai’i is never added into the equation. So the fact that America say’s it has learned from its pasts wrongs can’t hold up for they never made up for what they have done to the Hawaii people and still own their land to this day.

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Bibliography

Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy. Directed by Puhipau and Joan Lander. 1993: San Francisco, CA: Cross Current Media, National Asian American Telecommunications Association. DVD.

Rondilla, Joanne. “APA 200 Lecture.” Arizona State University, Spring 2013.

Trask, Haunani-Kay, From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai`i. Honolulu: University of Hawai`i Press, 1999

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[ 1 ]. Haunani-Kay Trask, From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai`i (Honolulu: University of Hawai`i Press, 1999), 5.
[ 2 ]. Ibid.
[ 3 ]. Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy, directed by Puhipau and Joan Lander (1993: San Francisco, CA: Cross Current Media, National Asian American Telecommunications Association), DVD.
[ 4 ]. Ibid.
[ 5 ]. Trask, Native Daughter, 6.
[ 6 ]. Act of War, 1993.
[ 7 ]. Trask, Native Daughter, 6.
[ 8 ]. Ibid.
[ 9 ]. Joanne Rondilla, “APA 200 Lecture” (Arizona State University, Sept 27,2013).
[ 10 ]. Trask, Native Daughter, 7. Haole is Hawaiian word for “white foreigner”
[ 11 ]. Act of War, 1993.
[ 12 ]. Trask, Native Daughter, 7.
[ 13 ]. Rondilla, “Lecture,” Sept 27, 2013.
[ 14 ]. Trask, Native Daughter, page 10.
[ 15 ]. Rondilla, “Lecture,” Sept 27, 2013.
[ 16 ]. Trask, Native Daughter, page 11.
[ 17 ]. Ibid.
[ 18 ]. Rondilla, “Lecture,” Sept 27, 2013.
[ 19 ]. Trask, Native Daughter, 11.
[ 20 ]. Rondilla, “Lecture,” Sept 27, 2013.
[ 21 ]. Trask, Native Daughter, 13.