`Iolani Palace still the Capitol of the Hawaiian Kingdom
The `Iolani Palace on Oahu has been the been the focus of Hawaiian Sovereignty issues ever since the illegal overthrow of Queen Lili`uokalani in January 1893.
Kanaka Maoli and supporters of a Free Hawaii, focus on this historic site with good cause.
The Palace served as the residence of the Queen, and the seat for the government until the time of overthrow, and afterwards was the capitol for the Provisional Government, Republic, Territory, and State of Hawaii, until 1969.
Today the state runs it as a tourist attraction, but to Hawaiians, regardless of race or group, it is the focal point for Hawaiian Sovereignty.
Every year different groups will rally here with the same focus: To free our nation! Free Hawaii!
On April 30th 2008, members of the Hawaiian Kingdom, took over `Iolani Palace. No force was used, everybody was polite fully told that the palace was closed and that trespassing was not allowed. The gates were locked, and the message was clear. Free Hawaii!
The group did not allow people on the grounds for most of the day, gave many statements to the press, and at the end of the day went on their way peacefully.
Police were involved but no arrests were made. All in all this was a very peaceful demonstration to show the world that Hawaii is still a independent nation, and that its people will never relinquish their hopes of someday being free.
This bold action has sent a message world wide, with over three hundred articles published within 24 hours.
NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, Time, Newsweek, Forbes, Associated Press, New York Times, and more covered this action by the peaceful group.
Although not all the media coverage was favorable, some of the articles were very well informed. More and more of the world community recognizes that Hawaii is still legally its own nation, and education, is the Key to having a Free Hawaii.
This excerpt was taken from a CNN article written on April 30th, 2008:
Although the monarchy was not overthrown until 1893, its fate effectively was sealed six years earlier when the same group that forced the overthrow imposed a new constitution on King David Kalakaua, who was forced to sign it under threat of arms.
The document dramatically reduced the authority of the monarchy and instituted voter requirements that limited voting to wealthy businessmen and Hawaiian landowners, barring 75 percent of the native Hawaiian population and all Asians.
When Queen Lili'uokalani ascended the throne after the death of her brother in 1891, she began work on a new constitution that would have effectively reversed the 1887 document. With the help of John L. Stevens, the U.S. minister to Hawaii, the elite group that had changed the constitution in 1887 opposed the queen's actions.
Two years later, under threat of U.S. troops, she yielded her authority, saying, "Until such time as the Government of the United States shall ... undo the action of its representative and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands."
The queen was later imprisoned in Iolani Palace for eight months for her participation in an attempted 1895 revolt, until she relinquished her claim to the throne in return for her release. She died in 1917 at 79.
In 1993, the U.S. Congress approved, and President Clinton signed, an apology to the people of the Hawaiian Islands. The document "acknowledges that the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States and further acknowledges that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their national lands, either through the Kingdom of Hawaii or through a plebiscite or referendum."
I was informed about all of this by the Koani Foundation. The foundation does a incredible job of covering all issues pertaining to Hawaiian Sovereignty, and has three informative sites.
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FreeHawaii.Info , FreeHawaiiTV.com , VoicesOfTruthTV.com
One of the most important documents to Hawaiian Sovereignty is the Apology Bill, to learn more follow this link.
To go to our page on the treaties that the Kingdom of Hawaii held and learn more about why the overthrow was illegal, follow this link.
To go to our interactive page on Hawaiian Sovereignty Issues, follow this link.