Pop History Moment: The Accession of Liliuokalani

I've written a considerable amount regarding the Kingdom of Hawai'i as part of my passive-aggressive agenda towards the US government; too few people know the real story of the colonial era in general, let alone that the United States invaded and has occupied a sovereign nation since the 1890s, despite being founded itself on such high-flown ideals as independence from colonial rule.

On this day in 1891 the last queen of Hawaii came to power, and for attempting to defend her people and the sovereignty of her nation - which, after all, ought to have been her job - she managed to bring the whole thing crashing down around her...

Following the death of her brother and predecessor Kalakaua, Liliuokalani came to power intent on abrogating the Bayonet Constitution, imposed on the island kingdom by American Lorrin A. Thurston and enforced by the Honolulu Rifles - a paramilitary organization backed by the country's Reform Party, who literally pointed their guns at the King as he signed it. Her second act was to protect her country's revenue from the McKinley Tariff, which had been imposed upon sugar exports and severely restricted revenues for the people who grew it.

So swift was her fall from power that she never even made it to the second anniversary of her accession; 1 year and 354 days after becoming queen she was deposed, and the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom was complete. As a closing salvo, though, she issued the following statement:

I Liliuokalani, by the Grace of God and under the Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen, do hereby solemnly protest against any and all acts done against myself and the Constitutional Government of the Hawaiian Kingdom by certain persons claiming to have established a Provisional Government of and for this Kingdom. 'That I yield to the superior force of the United States of America whose Minister Plenipotentiary, His Excellency John L. Stevens, has caused United States troops to be landed a Honolulu and declared that he would support the Provisional Government.' Now to avoid any collision of armed forces, and perhaps the loss of life, I do this under protest and impelled by said force yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States shall, upon facts being presented to it, undo the action of its representatives and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the Constitutional Sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands.

Alas, her faith in the world's superpowers - especially in their dealings with pivotal but poor colonies - was misplaced; on January 14th, 1893, a Committee of Safety was formed. Two days later the US government's John L. Stevens ordered two companies of Marines from the USS Boston deployed to guard such pivotal locations in Honolulu as the US Legation, Consulate, and Arion Hall. The following day, Liliuokalani was deposed, and Hawaii was a sovereign nation no more...
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In Memoriam: Kamehameha V

The best thing about writing this blog is the people I get to meet... Not (as with Facebook) that I ever get to actually meet any actual people as a result of it - yet - but between my fellow bloggers with whom I play 'comment tag' and the parade of historical figures both famous and obscure traipsing through here I've managed to trick myself into thinking that these proceedings are like some cosmic cocktail party with a guest list not even Truman Capote could throw together.

Some of my favourite guests here at the Pop Culture Institute are the Hawai'ian royals; not only are they among the only native royalty to have been added to the American melting pot, they are somehow both famous and obscure at the same time - which contradiction I love with all my love...

One such royal is the Hawai'ian king, Kamehameha V, who was born on this day in 1830 to High Chief Mataio Kekuanaoa and Princess Elizabeth Kinau; ultimately a tragic figure, he nevertheless did his part in shaping modern Hawai'i. Within his short lifetime he oversaw his nation's progress from a remote paradise to a tourist destination, raised his voice against alcohol - which killed his countrymen (who, like his fellow members of the North American First Nations, had the sort of metabolisms which were unable to process it) with impunity - and otherwise did his level best to insure the sovereignty of Hawai'i despite overwhelming odds.

Of course, Hawai'ian royalty wasn't exactly blessed with fecundity; maybe if they'd been able to establish a consistent line of primogeniture the international community would have seen fit to protect their line from the depredations of American gunboats, which would ultimately make their once-great nation into a mere state. Betrothed to Bernice Pauahi at birth, when she chose instead to marry Charles R. Bishop His Majesty was so heart-broken he never again considered marriage; as much as I feel his pain, I also know that royalty's number one job is to perpetuate the line, meaning if I'd been there I'd have told him to man up and beget the son and heir like pronto.

Despite a mere nine years on the throne, in addition to strengthening the role of the King under the terms of the the 1864 Constitution Kamehameha V built both the Aliʻiōlani Hale and expanded the ʻIolani Palace built by Kamehameha III, although he both drained the treasury and went into debt to do it. Since he steadfastly refused to name an heir, when he died - also on this day in 1873, on his 43rd birthday - the legislature chose the ill-fated Lunalilo to succeed him.  It did not, as you might have already guessed, go well...
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Pop History Moment: The Bombing of Pearl Harbor

On this day in 1941, the United States was sucker-punched by the Empire of Japan when 350 Japanese aircraft launched from six aircraft carriers destroyed 5 American ships and 188 aircraft, killing 2,388 and injuring 1,178 in under ninety minutes.

The raid, which began just before 8 AM, came in two waves; the first targeted the ships, such as the USS Arizona and the USS Utah, the second the nearby airbase and fuel tanks. The majority of the deaths that day were aboard the USS Arizona.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a rhetorical flourish even better than his usual, dubbed it 'a date which will live in infamy'; in these post 9-11 days, the academic and critical focus on the attack has shifted from the sheer horror of it to who might have known it was coming and did nothing to stop it, even though in the opinion of the Pop Culture Institute comparisons between Pearl Harbor and 9-11 are specious at best, and the very best of Republican obfuscation at worst.
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Happy Birthday Your Majesty

Although there are American royals by virtue of marriage - most notably Queen Noor of Jordan - there is only one royal family native to the United States...

The head of the House of Kawananakoa - and therefore the strongest claimant to the title King of Hawai'i - is Quentin Kawananakoa, a Republican state politician and party organizer; an alternative claim by the House of Kamehameha (to which he is also related) exists, and has many supporters, likely because it isn't allied with anything as corrupt and grotesque as the Republican Party. He is related as well to the House of Kalakaua and is an heir to the landholder James Campbell, whose estate he oversees.

All of these royal families, though, are merely branches of the Hawai'ian monarchy; any direct descent from actual Kings or Queens went extinct decades ago. Alas, none of them were prolific when it came to securing heirs.

Being the ardent royalist that I am, it takes some gritting of teeth and intestinal fortitude to support the claims of a smarmy Republican real estate developer with a prior conviction for cocaine possession. Yet, somehow, I do.
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In Memoriam: Lili'uokalani

It hasn't been that long, as these things go, since Hawai'i was a sovereign nation - whether as a loose association of chiefdoms in the Polynesian manner, as a Kingdom (during Hawai'i's earlier 'British' period), or as a Republic immediately prior to its annexation by the US.

Though Queen for less than two years before the monarchy was abolished by US President Grover Cleveland, Her Majesty is still fondly remembered today, most notably by a statue of her in the grounds of the state house in Honolulu; the nearby 'Iolani Palace owes much of its splendour to her efforts.

Nevertheless the reign of Lili'uokalani was marred by a certain inflexibility on her part, especially given that she spent most of it staring down the barrels of American cannons. Even though her overthrow was eventually determined illegal by the Blount Report issued by the US Congress, the Queen refused amnesty to those involved, and her ouster was maintained.

Lili'uokalani was probably a better writer and composer than Queen, given her disdain for diplomacy; one of the songs she wrote, Aloha 'Oe, is probably the most famous song in the Hawaiian language. Chances are, in a film or TV show depicting Hawaii, the lilting strains of the song (and thus a remnant of the soul of its last Queen) will accompany the establishing shot.

Born on this day in 1838 - the daughter of High Chieftess Analea Keohokalole and High Chief Caesar Kaluaiku Kapaʻakea but adopted at birth by Abner Pākī and his wife Laura Kōnia according to Hawai'an custom - Hawai'i's last sovereign Liliʻuokalani died in November 1917.
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