The State of Hawaii

In 1959, Hawaii became the fiftieth state. In recent years, there has been a movement in Hawaii to secede from the United States and become a separate country. Over a century ago, Hawaii was a separate country with its own monarchy. During that time, American missionaries and landowners brought about many changes with respect to politics, culture, economy, and religion. As a result, a constitution was adopted. Much of the power belonging to the ruler was taken away. At the end of the century, a group of Marines threw out the last monarch of Hawaii. A few years later, Hawaii became a trust territory of the United States. Fifty years after that, it became a state.

Today, there is a movement among several groups in Hawaii to secede from the United States and return to a sovereign nation. Hawaii has a population of over one million. About 200,000 are native Hawaiians. Many believe they were wronged throughout their history and would like such wrongs corrected.

Do they have a legal case? Some say they do. A professor of international law said he believes the Hawaiian Kingdom Government has a valid claim. He claims that international law provides for sovereign governments. Such law defines this as people living on their land and asserting their rights. He believes this is what the Native Hawaiians are doing.

The state has set up the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. They have petitioned the federal government to allow some form of self-government on ancestral lands. This would be similar to some Native-American reservations.

What the Hawaiians seek to do has widespread international and national implications. It will take a while to reach solutions. Resolving the issues could involve both the Supreme Court and the United Nations. For the moment, Hawaii retains valid statehood, enjoying the rights and duties of a member of the United States.