Annexation of Hawaii: Teaching with Documents.

The 1897 Petition Against the Annexation of Hawaii. See picture.

Hawaii's government was overthrown on Jan. 17, 1893, by a relatively small group of men, most of them American by birth or heritage, who seized control of the Islands with the backing of American troops sent ashore from a warship in Honolulu Harbor. To this "superior force of the United States of America," Queen Lili`uokalani yielded her throne, under protest, in order to avoid bloodshed, trusting that the United States government would right the wrong that had been done to her and the Hawaiian people.

Who were this group of American men and why did they overthrow the government? Oil? Nooo. Something similar Sugar!

Sugar was by far the principal support of the islands, and profits and prosperity hinged on favorable treaties with the United States, Hawaiian sugar's chief market, creating powerful economic ties. The plantation owners were, for the most part, the descendents of the original missionary families who had brought religion to the islands in the wake of the whaling ships. As ownership of private property came to the islands, the missionary families wound up owning a great deal of it!

When the Hawaiian islands were formally annexed by the United States in 1898, the event marked end of a lengthy internal struggle between native Hawaiians and white American businessmen for control of the Hawaiian government. In 1893 the last monarch of Hawaii, Queen Lili'uokalani, was overthrown by party of businessmen, who then imposed a provisional government. Soon after, President Benjamin Harrison submitted a treaty to annex the Hawaiian islands to the U.S. Senate for ratification. In 1897, the treaty effort was blocked when the newly-formed Hawaiian Patriotic League, composed of native Hawaiians, successfully petitioned the U.S. Congress in opposition of the treaty. The League's lobbying efforts left only 46 Senators in favor of the resolution, less than the 2/3 majority needed for approval of a treaty. The League's victory was shortlived, however as unfolding world events soon forced the annexation issue to the fore again. With the explosion of the U.S.S. Maine in February of 1898 signaling the start of the Spanish American War, establishing a mid-Pacific fueling station and naval base became a strategic imperative for the United States. The Hawaiian islands were the clear choice, and this time Congress moved to annex the Hawaiian islands by Joint Resolution, a process requiring only a simple majority in both houses of Congress. On July 12, 1898, the Joint Resolution passed and the Hawaiian islands were officially annexed by the United States.

The Hawaiian islands had a well-established culture and long history of self-governance when Captain James Cook, the first European explorer to set foot on Hawaii, landed in 1778. The influence of European and American settlers quickly began to alter traditional ways of life. Originally governed by individual chiefs or kings, the islands united under the rule of a single monarch, King Kamehameha, in 1795, less than two decades after Cook's arrival. Later the traditional Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown in favor of a constitutional monarchy. Eventually, the monarchy itself was abandoned in favor of a government elected by a small group of enfranchised voters, although the Hawaiian monarch was retained as the ceremonial head of the government. Even elements of daily life felt the social and economic impact of the white planters, missionaries and businessmen. The landholding system changed, and many aspects of traditonal culture were prohibited including teaching the Hawaiian language and performing the native Hula dance.

In 1887, the struggle for control of Hawaii was at its height as David Kalakaua was elected to the Hawaiian throne. King Kalakaua signed a reciprocity treaty with the United States making it possible for sugar to be sold to the U.S. market tax-free, but the haole - or "white" - businessmen were still distrustful of him. They criticized his ties to men they believed to be corrupt, his revival of Hawaiian traditions such as the historic Hula, and construction of the royal Iolani Palace. A scandal involving Kalakaua erupted in the very year he was crowned, and it united his opponents, a party of businessmen under the leadership of Lorrin Thurston. The opposition used the threat of violence to force the Kalakua to accept a new constitution that stripped the monarchy of executive powers and replaced the cabinet with members of the businessmen's party. The new constitution, which effectively disenfranchised most native Hawaiian voters, came to be known as the "Bayonet Constitution" because Kalakaua signed it under duress.

When King Kalakaua died in 1891, his sister Lili'uokalani succeeded him, and members of the native population persuaded the new queen to draft a new constitution in an attempt to restore native rights and powers. The move was countered by the Committee on Annexation, a small group of white businessmen and politicians who felt that annexation by the United States, the major importer of Hawaiian agricultural products, would be beneficial for the economy of Hawaii. Supported by John Stevens, the U.S. Minister to Hawaii, and a contingent of Marines from the warship, U.S.S. Boston, the Committee on Annexation overthrew Queen Lili'uokalani in a bloodless coup on January 17, 1893 and established a revolutionary regime.

Without permission from the U.S. State Department, Minister Stevens then recognized the new government and proclaimed Hawaii a U.S. protectorate. The Committee immediately proclaimed itself to be the Provisional Government. President Benjamin Harrison signed a treaty of annexation with the new government, but before the Senate could ratify it, Grover Cleveland replaced Harrison as president and subsequently withdrew the treaty.

Shortly into his presidency, Cleveland appointed James Blount as a special investigator to investigate the events in the Hawaiian Islands. Blount found that Minister Stevens had acted improperly and ordered that the American flag be lowered from Hawaiian government buildings. He also ordered that Queen Lili'uokalani be restored to power, but Sanford Dole, the president of the Provisional Government of Hawaii, refused to turn over power. Dole successfully argued that the United States had no right to interfere in the internal affairs of Hawaii. The Provisional Government then proclaimed Hawaii a republic in 1894, and soon the Republic of Hawaii was officially recognized by the United States.

The overthrow of Lili'uokalani and imposition of the Republic of Hawaii was contrary to the will of the native Hawaiians. Native Hawaiians staged mass protest rallies and formed two gender-designated groups to protest the overthrow and prevent annexation. One was the Hui Hawaii Aloha Aina, loosely translated as the Hawaiian Patriotic League, and the other was its female counterpart, the Hui Hawaii Aloha Aina o Na Wahine. On January 5, 1895, the protests took the form of an armed attempt to derail the annexation but the armed revolt was suppressed by forces of the Republic. The leaders of the revolt were imprisoned along with Queen Lili'uokalani who was jailed for failing to put down the revolt.

In March of 1897, William McKinley was inaugurated as President of the United States. McKinley was in favor of annexation, and the change in leadership was soon felt. On June 16, 1897, McKinley and three representatives of the government of the Republic of Hawaii --Lorrin Thurston, Francis Hatch, and William Kinney-- signed a treaty of annexation. President McKinley then submitted the treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification.

The Hui Aloha Aina for Women and the Hui Aloha Aina for Men now organized a mass petition drive. They hoped that if the U.S. government realized that the majority of native Hawaiian citizens opposed annexation, the move to annex Hawaii would be stopped. Between September 11 and October 2, 1897, the two groups collected petition signatures at public meetings held on each of the five principal islands of Hawaii. The petition, clearly marked "Petition Against Annexation" and written in both the Hawaiian and English languages, was signed by 21,269 native Hawaiian people, or more than half the 39,000 native Hawaiians and mixed-blood persons reported by the Hawaiian Commission census for the same year.

Four delegates, James Kaulia, David Kalauokalani, John Richardson, and William Auld, arrived in Washington, DC on December 6 with the 556-page petition in hand. That day, as they met with Queen Lili'uokalani, who was already in Washington lobbying against annexation, the second session of the 55th Congress opened. The delegates and Lili'uokalani planned a strategy to present the petition to the Senate.

The delegation and Lili'oukalani met Senator George Hoar, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the following day, and on December 9, with the delegates present, Senator Hoar read the text of the petition to the Senate. It was formally accepted. The next day the delegates met with Secretary of State John Sherman and submitted a formal statement protesting the annexation to him. In the following days, the delegates met with many senators, voicing opposition to the annexation. By the time the delegates left Washington on February 27, 1898, there were only 46 senators willing to vote for annexation. The treaty was defeated in the Senate.

Other events brought the subject of annexation up again immediately. On February 15, 1898, the U.S. Battleship Maine was blown up in Havana harbor in Cuba. The ensuing Spanish-American War, part of which was fought in the Philippine Islands, established the strategic value of the Hawaiian islands as a mid-Pacific fueling station and naval installation. The pro-annexation forces in Congress submitted a proposal to annex the Hawaiian Islands by joint resolution, which required only a simple majority vote in both houses. This eliminated the 2/3 majority needed to ratify a treaty, and by result, the necessary support was in place. House Joint Resolution 259, 55th Congress, 2nd session, known as the "Newlands Resolution," passed Congress and was signed into law by President McKinley on July 7, 1898.

Once annexed by the United States, the Hawaiian islands remained a U.S. territory until 1959, when they were admitted to statehood as the 50th state. The story of the annexation is a story of conflicting goals as the white businessmen struggled to obtain favorable trade conditions and native Hawaiians sought to protect their cultural heritage and maintain a national identity. The 1897 Petition by the Hawaiian Patriotic League stands as evidence that the native Hawaiian people objected to annexation, but because the interests of the businessmen won out, over the coming decades most historians who wrote the history of Hawaii emphasized events as told by the Provisional Government and largely neglected the struggle of the Native Hawaiians. Today, there is a growing movement on the Islands to revive interest in the native Hawaiian language and culture. Primary sources such as this petition bear witness that there is another side to the story.

The annexation petition with its voluminous signatures, along with many related records, is filed in the Records of the U.S. Senate, Record Group 46, at the National Archives and Records Administration. The petitions are available on microfilm as publication M1897.

Illegal Employers? ICE on the Blind spot

Recent immigration raids in U.S. and Hawaii have all ended the same way, with federal authorities quickly prosecuting and deporting workers who are working Undocumented.

But it isn’t clear what happens to the companies CEO, HR Managers that hired them.

Even as they highlight their efforts to find Undocumented workers, federal officials have refused to release any information on fines or penalties paid by employers implicated in immigration raids.

U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo declined to answer questions about employer penalties. Representatives of several companies found to have hired Undocumented workers either declined to talk to or issued statements saying they are committed to following federal employment laws.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the largest division within the federal Department of Homeland Security and which oversees enforcement of immigration laws, has moved aggressively in recent months in Hawaii and on the Mainland, targeting companies that are “job magnets” for Undocumented workers.

Since last December, 120 Undocumented workers have been arrested in four Hawaii workplace raids of construction sites, restaurants and even a Waipahu apartment complex where farm workers lived.

I.C.E moves quickly to deport Undocumented workers and says it has brought down the average time to process deportations to 19 days.

But building cases against the companies that hired the workers can take years. Investigators say they have to prove that employers knew the workers they hired were in the country Undocumented and that they intentionally lied on the federal I-9 employment verification form.

In cases involving construction work, the developer points to the general contractor who then blames subcontractors, who in turn blame other subs or day-labor agencies that provide some of the workers. Whoever made the hire typically says they were duped by an Undocumented worker using forged or stolen identification papers.

Wayne Wills, special agent in charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Investigations in Honolulu, acknowledged that investigations can take several years. But he said he believes that the fines and penalties are sufficient to discourage employers from hire Undocumented workers.

“We haven’t seen all of our cases fully come to fruition and we may not be seeing all of those charges [yet],” he told them. “So the deterrent effect is very hard to measure right now.”

In addition to fines levied by I.C.E., the U.S. Attorney’s Office can pursue criminal charges against employers.

But neither Wills nor Kubo would say if any Hawaii companies had been criminally charged. They also declined to provide any Hawaii statistics on work site enforcement fines and penalties.

Advocates for Undocumented workers, as well as a construction industry trade group, say the authorities have to do more than arrest and deport Undocumented workers. They say some businesses are repeat offenders that have figured out it’s still cheaper to employ Undocumented workers, even if they have to pay the occasional fine.

“In my view, it is the workers who are being targeted in this enforcement effort and they are the ones paying the price for the United States’ haphazard approach to immigration management,” said John Robert Egan, chairman of the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Hawaii chapter and director of the Immigration Law Clinic. “I have not heard of any employers being jailed, or having their families split up or having to pull their kids out of school.”

The spotlight on Undocumented workers has become an increasingly divisive issue in Hawaii, especially given the faltering economy, which has caused nearly 5,000 people to be thrown out of work since the start of the year.

The Pacific Resource Partnership, a consortium of the Hawaii Carpenters Union and some 200 unionized contractors across the state, has taken a particularly strong stance against contractors who hire undocumented workers by launching a public service campaign called Play Fair in Hawaii.

The goal is to encourage contractors and developers to comply with hiring laws so as not to sully the industry and take away jobs from Hawaii residents and deter what it calls the “disturbing number of Undocumented immigrants being brought into Hawaii to work in the building trades.”

“We don’t begrudge any individual who comes here trying to advance their life because we are a nation of immigrants,” said Kyle Chock, executive director of the Pacific Resource Partnership. “We definitely have a problem with [employers] cutting corners, who knowingly exploit these individuals, especially when the economy starts to slow down and there’s local guys sitting on the bench without work.”

Recent raids on the Mainland have drawn national attention, particularly in rural Postville, Iowa and Laurel, Miss., to more aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.

As of last month, more than 3,900 administrative arrests and more than 1,000 criminal arrests made in fiscal 2008 were tied to work site enforcement investigations nationwide, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement statistics.

Of the 1,022 people arrested and charged with felonies, 116 were owners, managers, supervisors or human resources employees who are facing charges of harboring or knowingly hiring Undocumented workers.

The agency said it has levied administrative fines against employers totaling more than $30 million in fiscal 2007.

By comparison, the number of “intent to fine” notices sent to employers fell from 417 in 1999 to three in 2004, according to statistics in an August 2005 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

“The increased law enforcement, that’s misguided,” said Pat McManaman, executive director of Na Loio – Immigrant Rights and Public Interest Legal Center in Honolulu, which is assisting some of the workers arrested in the Hawaii raids. “Arresting pockets of undocumented immigrants will do nothing in the long run to cure the immigration ills that face our country.”

Companies say they try to comply with laws

Last month, 41 Undocumented workers were arrested at the construction site of the Maui luxury condominium project Honua Kai, which is being developed by Vancouver-based Intrawest ULC.

Ledcor - U.S. Pacific Construction Honolulu is the general contractor on the project and it recently issued letters to its subcontractors, who employed the arrested workers, warning them to comply with federal laws.

“Any further discoveries of undocumented workers in your employ will result in Ledcor taking every action available to us under the contract including the possibility of the termination of your contract and your immediate removal from the site,” said Jeff Thompson, project manager for Ledcor, in the letter.

In late July, 43 men were arrested at a Waipahu apartment complex. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said the men were from Mexico and worked for The Farms Inc. in Central Oahu.

Dax Deason, an immigration attorney with the Houston law firm Alaniz & Schraeder who is representing The Farms Inc. owner Larry Jefts, told that the company has not received notice of any civil fines or criminal violations.

“We feel we fully complied with the laws and should they decide to go further, we’re prepared to defend our practices,” Deason said.

In May, 22 Undocumented workers, mostly from Mexico, were arrested at three Maui restaurants — Cheeseburger Island Style, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Lahaina.

Steve Moreau, director of communications for Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurants Inc. of San Clemente, Calif., declined to say whether the company had paid any fines. He issued a prepared statement:

“We have cooperated fully with the government officials. Our operations in Lahaina have returned to normal. We continue our commitment to preventing employment of unauthorized workers. Our guests and employees alike can expect us to continue to take the lead on guest service, food safety and employment practices.”

Civil fines start at $375

In March, the federal government raised the civil fines against employers who violate federal immigration laws.
The fines, which increased by an average of 25 percent, had not been changed since 1999.

Employers found to have knowingly or egregiously hired illegal or undocumented workers face administrative fines for each violation and each worker.
In addition, those employers could also have all of their assets seized for the entire period that they employed Unauthorized or undocumented workers.

First offense: $375 to $3,200 each Undocumented worker.
Second offense: $3,200 to $6,500 each Undocumented worker.
Third offense: $4,300 to $16,000 for each Undocumented worker.

Nonfraudulent paperwork violations, i.e. failure to accurately complete the I-9 employment verification form, carry fines of up to $1,100

Racism or Just plain Prejudice in Hawaii?. Find out..........



Mr. Rod Tam Why is so easy to talk and to hard to apologize?.

Wetback,” a term that is archaic and used only when intended to insult persons of Mexican ancestry has shattered the tranquil and paradise image of the Hawaiian island. Hawaii, which to date had not been drawn into the volatile immigration debate has now been plunged into the issue when Honolulu City Councilman Rod Tam used the term “wetback” not once, but twice during a public meeting.

Marie Villa, editor of the Hawaii Hispanic News, was at first dumbfounded and then offended by the use of the word. Ms. Villa had thought that her island home was above this type of public racism. According to Villa, “Hawaii is home to about 100,000 Hispanics from Puerto Rican to Mexican,” and an island that is truly multi-racial. In a phone interview Villa stated, “Hispanics and Hawaiians look so much alike it is hard to tell the difference. Hawaii is not a melting pot but more like a toss salad. We have truly assimilated into the culture.”

Villa stated that it was a shock to her and the Hispanic community when Chinese-American Rod Tam in discussing the use of undocumented workers by developers on public projects, at first paused, thought about his next words and said “uh, we don’t want any wetbacks basically and … developers, contractors, have been getting wetbacks from New Mexico, uh Mexico, sorry.”

Villa, who is also the President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce stated she has been getting letters, phone calls, e-mails, and has been approached in person by Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, African-American, Caucasian, and other friends, who have expressed support and outrage at Tam’s comments. “So this is not just a ‘Hispanic thing.’ It’s a ‘people thing’” she stated.

For Villa the issue turned particularly nasty when she received a hate letter in her mailbox. “In my 19 years as a Hawaiian resident and as editor, this was the first piece of racist hate mail I had ever received. The amount of venom and hatred for Mexican people expressed in this letter is incomprehensible and overwhelming.”

Villa wrote in the Hawaii Hispanic News that, “a publicly-elected Hawaii official should not use a racial slur when referring to Mexican undocumented workers in an official government meeting. We didn’t attack anybody. We weren’t looking for a fight. We just expressed our individual rights as American citizens.”

“For that, the Hispanic community now finds itself immersed in a debate that we did not call for, or are familiar with. We sought out support from other Hispanic community leaders for political guidance and one of the first people I spoke to,” stated Villa, “was Herman Baca, President of the Committee on Chicano Rights (CCR), in National City.”

While racial hatred is new to Ms. Villa and the Hawaii Hispanic community for Baca and the CCR these types of issues have been addressed on a daily basis. Beginning in the late 1960’s with the INS./Border Patrol, San Diego Sheriff John Duffy, Chief of Police Ray Hoobler, County Supervisor, Susan Golding, who blamed immigrant for the rise in crime, and past CA Governor Pete Wilson who scapegoat the Hispanic community in his run for President. And, recently San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn in public statements depicted immigrants as gangsters coming across the border.

In a letter of support to Villa, Baca stated:

“As an organization that has been involved with the immigration issue for forty years we commend you and the community for standing up to the race baiting by Councilperson Tam. We extend our support for your declaration that you will ‘not tolerate any politician who facilitates or causes a Hawaii ethnic group to become the target of bigotry, racism or just plain prejudice.’”

Baca further stated, “Hawaii’s reputation as a progressive, multiethnic culture, diverse, and racially-tolerant state appears now to have been either a facade, or never existed. We urge you and the community to demand that Hawaii political leadership publicly denounces Councilperson Tam’s wetback comments. That they meet with Hispanic community leaders to give assurances that the civil and constitutional rights of our people are respected and protected, and if the state political leadership fails to address the community’s concerns; call for an economic boycott of Hawaii tourism industry.”

Villa stated she has also received other letters and emails of support from throughout the United States with the same sense of disbelief that this type of racism is occurring in Hawaii.

Marie Villa stated that two national Hispanic groups have called for Tam to be removed from the City Council; however, the local Hispanic community wants him to be removed from the chairmanship of the Zoning Committee where he used the “wetback” term.

The president of the Zoning Committee stated, “this is not going to happen.”

Tam has since apologized at a committee meeting and was censured, but Villa stated that, “the Hispanic community wants Tam to come before the Hispanic community and apologize.” Tam to date has refused.

In an interview with La Prensa San Diego Baca stated “The CCR has corresponded with Presidential candidate, Hawaii born Barack Obama, the Governor, and U.S. Senators from Hawaii, New Mexico’s Bill Richardson, National Council of La Raza and California Latino Legislative Caucus asking what they are going to do about, “the race baiting, xenophobia, and nativist Mexican bashing that has now crossed the Pacific Ocean into Hawaii? History teaches what will and does happen when the demonizing of a people is ignored by political leaders i.e. the Holocaust, Chinese Exclusion Act, interment of Japanese-Americans, Operation Wetback, etc.”

While the community waits for a response, the issue appears to be growing larger as the Hispanic community in Hawaii continues to rally around the issue, and more groups in the U.S mainline become involved in support of the Hispanic community in Hawaii.