The Rosy Dawn of US Imperialism - 1/16/1893 in Hawaii

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>hawaii-nation >[hawaii-nation] The Rosy Dawn of US

Imperialism - 1/16/1893 in Hawaii >Thu, 16 Jan 2003 11:27:51 -1000 >

>http://www.counterpunch.org/leupp01162003.html > >Counter Punch > >January 16,

2003 > >Hawai'i, January 16, 1893 > >The Rosy Dawn of US Imperialism > >by GARY

LEUPP > >On this day 110 years ago, U.S. Marines, acting at the invitation of

>wealthy haole (white) sugar planters, invaded the Kingdom of Hawai'i >and

overthrew Queen Lili'uokalani, eighth monarch in the line of King >Kamehameha

I. A day, to coin a phrase, that lives in infamy. Five >years later, Hawai'i

was formally annexed by the U.S.; it became a >U.S. "territory" in 1900, and

the fiftieth state in 1959. > >The inception of U.S. imperialism is generally

traced to 1898, and >the acquisition of an overseas empire (Puerto Rico, the

Philippines) >as spoils of the Spanish-American War. From that point, there was

a >vigorous debate in the U.S. about the pros and cons of imperialism >(usually

conceptualized as a policy that the government might or >might not pursue,

rather than as a system constituting, in Lenin's >phrase, the "highest stage of

capitalism"). Globally, the "new >imperialism" is usually dated to the 1870s and

1880s. It's >distinguished from the empire-building in the Americas and parts of

>Asia during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries by the fact that it >was

based on direct investment feeding capitalist-industrial >economies (rather

than the quest for gold, silver, slaves, etc.) From >the 1870s, the "scramble

for Africa" partitioned nearly the whole of >that continent among the European

powers. In Polynesia (a region >generally neglected by historians, even "world

historians"), Fiji, >Tahiti, Hawai'i, Samoa, and Tonga were all colonized

between 1870 and >1900. The last major Maori uprising in Aotearoa (New Zealand,

the >southwest limit of Polynesia) was suppressed by the British in 1870. > >It

seems to me, though, that one can trace the rosy dawn of U.S. >imperialism at

the very least to 1893 and the Marines' criminal >action in Hawai'i, or maybe

to the gunboat diplomacy of Commodore >Perry's mission to Japan in 1853-4, or

maybe even to the actions of >American nationals in Hawai'i from the arrival of

Protestant >missionaries from Massachusetts in 1820. In both Hawai'i and Japan,

>the U.S. sought to impose what today is lauded in mainstream >political and

journalistic discourse as "globalization." >Encouragement or creation of "free"

market economies welcoming >exports and foreign investment. Privatization,

allowing for foreign >acquisition of local resources. "Free flow" of

(Judeo-Christian, >Greco-Roman, western) ideas. Hospitality to foreign military

>presence---to insure "freedom" for the right sort of people. This was >the

agenda of western imperialists throughout Polynesia. > >The Hawaiian monarchs,

one must grant, abetted the process. In 1821 >Kamehameha II, fearing he would

burn in hell otherwise, embraced the >missionaries' fundamentalist teachings

and bowed to their advice. >Thereafter missionary families (usually holding

both U.S. and >Hawaiian citizenship, the latter graciously and foolishly

conferred) >came to dominate both the Hawaiian economy and its politics. (As

they >say in Hawai'i, in the beginning the missionaries had the Bible, and >the

people had the land; now the people have the Bible, and the >missionaries, the

land.) Submitting to missionary and sugar planter >pressure, Kamehameha III

agreed to discard the prior system of feudal >land tenure (which insured that

the maka'aina or commoners could >engage in subsistence agriculture-very

productive and healthy >agriculture at that) with a system of private property

that in short >order dispossessed the great majority of Hawaiians, whose ranks

were >being horrifically decimated by diseases introduced from abroad. He

>allowed resident foreigners to vote in elections for the newly formed

>legislature, on a par with native Hawaiians. Fearing the mounting >influence

of Americans, he even began negotiating with them about the >annexation of his

nation on terms that would at least allow for >Hawaiians' survival. > >This

king was succeeded by two rulers, both his nephews, who >terminated discussion

of annexation, sought to diminish Americans' >influence over the polity, and

strove to build ties with Japan >(recently "opened," and an up-and-coming, soon

to be imperialist >power) as a counterweight to that influence. King Kalakaua

(r. >1874-91) traveled the world, seeking to boost Hawai'i's prestige and

>insure its independence, in part through a proposed alliance with >Japan. He

promoted a renaissance of indigenous culture, most notably >reviving the hula

tradition of dance, which the missionaries had >banned. (They were oh, so

consternated that they couldn't crush this >pagan, vile, and lewd native

boogie.) On the other hand, he traded a >reciprocity treaty maintaining

Hawai'i's favored access to the U.S. >sugar market for U.S. use of Pearl Harbor

as a naval base. Worse, he >bowed to the pressure of the sugar planters and

agreed to a new >constitution (called "the Bayonet Constitution" as it was

dictated by >the missionaries and planters and accompanied by the threat of his

>overthrow), which disenfranchised three-fourths of what had been the >native

Hawaiian voting population. > >Kalakaua's sister Lili'uokalani succeeded him

after his death. Her >efforts, in response to overwhelming popular sentiment,

to promulgate >a new constitution restoring native rights and limiting the

>foreigners' influence, met with fierce resistance from members of the

>American business community. The latter actively plotted to arrange >U.S.

annexation. Their ally, U.S. Minister plenipotentiary John L. >Stevens, wrote

to the U.S. Secretary of State in March 1892, seeking >instructions on how to

proceed. "The golden hour," he declared, "is >near at hand." The following

January, thirteen top haole capitalists >met to plan a coup, organizing a

paramilitary force to lay the >groundwork. Its name? Why, The Committee of

Public Safety, of >course. Stevens, well informed of the conspiracy, assured

them that >the marines aboard USS Boston in Honolulu Harbor were "ready to land

>at any moment" to assist their worthy civilizing annexationist goals. >On

January 13, the Committee of Public Safety informed the queen it >planned to

announce that the throne had been vacated. Shocked (as >you'd be if you were

her), she appealed for support to Minister >Stevens, supposing that the U.S.,

which she had visited and much >admired, and with which her government had

excellent relations, would >oppose the overthrow of her constitutional

government. Lili'uokalani >was a brilliant, highly articulate lady, composer of

over a hundred >songs, including the immortal Aloha Oe (and even more moving

ones >written during her subsequent imprisonment). But alas, so naïve. > >On

January 16, the Committee of Public Safety sent a letter to >Stevens claiming

that the queen was attempting "with armed force and >threats of bloodshed" to

impose a new constitution. "We are unable to >protect ourselves without aid,"

whined the sugar barons, "and, >therefore, pray for the protection of the

United States forces." >(Shades of Grenada, 1983, when Reagan invaded to

protect the lives of >U.S. medical students. We should commemorate that

anniversary too.) >Sure enough, boatloads of bluejackets, America's finest,

were soon >storming down Nuuanu Street to Stevens' office as Sanford B. Dole,

>son of missionaries, sugar magnate, and Supreme Court Justice, >proclaimed a

provisional republic "until terms of union with the >United States have been

negotiated." Dole became the first president >of the Hawaiian Republic.

(Compare Texas, 1836.) > >Thus Lili'uokalani was shunted aside, and in an

effort to avoid >bloodshed, she agreed to "yield my authority until such time

as the >Government of the United States shallundo the action of its

>representative" But sympathy for her remained strong, and while >authorities

in Washington debated the pros and cons of annexing >Hawai'i, supporters of the

queen led by Robert Wilcox (formally an >anti-monarchist but now inclined to

support the queen's cause against >foreign aggression) quite reasonably plotted

an insurrection. >(Meanwhile racism pervaded the entire discourse about

annexation in >the U.S. The pro side said, "Let's expand into the Pacific in

>accordance with God's plan, make money and civilize those South Sea >savages."

The con side said, "We don't want or need any more >dangerous, lascivious negro

citizens in this country." Newly elected >President Grover Cleveland for his

part strongly condemned >Lili'uokalani's overthrow and called for her

restoration to the >throne. In response, thug Dole---who has streets named

after >him---criticized Washington's "interference in the internal affairs" >of

Hawai'i!) > >Wilcox's pro-Queen rebellion was aborted in January 1894, and on

>January 16, a year after her overthrow, the queen was arrested. >Officials of

the republic found a respectable cache of arms at her >residence, including 21

bombs (some made with coconut shells), as >well as 30 rifles. > >[Digression

about coconuts and their usage. Many consider the >production of pottery a

hallmark of cultural advance. Historically, >the potter's wheel and ceramic

production tend to accompany the >beginnings of agriculture; grains and other

foodstuffs are stored in >and served on dishes. But while Polynesian peoples on

the Bismarck >Peninsula pioneered in ceramic production some 1500 years ago (the

>Lapita culture), pottery did not become generally diffused throughout

>Polynesia. Why? Because intelligent people decided it was easier to >use

gourds, koa wood, coconuts etc. to serve the same purpose as >pottery. Now, the

coconut ( Cocos nucifera ) includes a thick hardy >grenade of fibrous husk. It

contains a fruit easy to remove, and >"milk" from which I recommend you prepare

haupia pudding (there are >recipes on the net) before proceeding. Then you can

use the shell to >serve or store macadamia nuts, coffee beans, ohelo berries,

pickled >plums, dried squid, explosive materials, and so on. Creative,

>practical minds around Lili'uokalani contrived coconut bombs. I don't >know

what happened to them; perhaps there is one on display in the >Bishop Museum in

Honolulu.] > >Potential terror-bomber Lili'uokalani was charged with treason, of

>all things, and placed under house arrest. After nine months, and the

>sentencing of five of her supporters to death, she acceded to another >"forced

abdication" in part to win clemency for her supporters. >Justice was served; she

was sentenced to five years at hard labor and >fined five thousand dollars. >

>The sentence was not carried out, but a fine United Press >correspondent, one

Reverend Sereno Bishop of the prestigious Bishop >missionary family (which

founded the aforementioned Bishop Museum, a >big Honolulu tourist attraction),

a man who had earlier described the >queen to the world as a pious Christian

lady (which she was, >actually) now eagerly endeavored to tarnish her

reputation and >thereby justify her removal. The queen had been manipulated, he

>revealed, by sorcerers ( kahunas or native priests). She had made >sacrifices

to the native volcano goddess Pele, and promoted the >salacious hula. Worst of

all, she was really the bastard daughter of >a "negro blackboot." Pure

disinformation, of course, of a type that >people who watch CNN and read the

New York Times may be familiar >with. Queen Lili'uokalani died peacefully at

age 79, in November 1917 >(that most decisive and hopeful of months in modern

history), >accorded the priceless gift of U.S. citizenship, and grieving for

her >colonized people, who'd owned all the land in 1800, 10% of the land >in

1893, and almost none of it at her death. > >So this is the edifying tale of

the overthrow of the Hawaiian >kingdom. Greed, arrogance, bigotry, racism,

lies, terror, treachery, >deceit. The U.S. Congress pretty much conceded that

ten years ago, >offering a formal apology (Joint Resolution 19; see

Congressional >Record, vol. 139). "But wasn't it all worth it in the end?" you

might >ask. "I mean, isn't anybody better off being part of the U.S.A.?"

>Indeed, being a citizen of an imperialist country has its advantages,

>unevenly distributed though they may be. Having lived in Hawai'i >during

eleven of my most formative years, I can attest that life can >be very, very

pleasant even on islands dominated physically and >economically by the U.S.

military, a tourist industry that degrades >and prostitutes the local people

and culture, and a declining >tropical agriculture. (Sugar operations finally

collapsed during the >last decade, just not competitive in the global economy

anymore. The >sugar capital's gone to real estate, finance, tourism, macademia

>nuts, Kona coffee, etc.) I fervently believe that Hawai'i no ka oi >(There's

no better place than Hawai'i.) But that's despite the fact >that the system

sucks. It's because the land, sky, sea and most of >all the multiethnic people

are so beautiful. > >The seizure of the Hawaiian nation, in any case, wasn't

about >improving the lot of a people systematically dispossessed and

>disenfranchised by the annexationists, any more than the de facto >U.S.

occupation of Afghanistan is about helping Afghans, or the >coming war with

Iraq about liberating that nation's people. It was >about more fully empowering

the already powerful, and making the >wealthy wealthier, squeezing profits out

of coolie labor like you >squeeze sweet sap out of sugarcane stalks. It was an

early instance >of U.S. imperialism, supported ideologically by religious

>fundamentalism and racism, and justified by bald-faced lies. >Unfortunately,

it's not even one of the ugliest examples, and >probably nowhere near the last.

> >But best to have faith that someday, imperialism will be all over. >The past

holds lessons we can build upon, striving towards that end. >So here's to

anti-imperialist Queen Lili'uokalani, to rebel Wilcox, >and to any

well-considered use of Cocos nucifera, or other tropical >agricultural

products, to abet the cause of human liberation, in >Polynesia or elsewhere. >

> >Gary Leupp is an an associate professor, Department of History, Tufts

>University and coordinator, Asian Studies Program. > >He can be reached at:

gleupp (AT) tufts (DOT) edu > >Article URL: http://www.counterpunch.org/leupp01162003.html

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