Template:Nhsc-v1-159 - Revision history

Jennifer Wada at 02:17, 8 April 2006

2006-04-08T02:17:22Z

Jennifer Wada at 10:49, 7 April 2006

2006-04-07T10:49:00Z

Jennifer Wada at 10:28, 8 March 2006

2006-03-08T10:28:15Z

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In order to understand future
constitutional activity of the
kingdom, it is important here to point
out the differences between
constitutions of the Hawaiian Kingdom
and of the United States. 62/ Unlike
the system in the United States, the
Hawaiian monarch was believed to have
had the right to promulgate and
abrogate constitutions, since the
original constitution was granted by
the king and not by "We the people."
63/ One Hawaiian writer states that:
"By proposing the action of the
constitution of 1852 the king set a
precedent that he could, with the
consent of the legislature, change the
constitution." 64/
Relationships with Foreign
Governments
These early years of the reign of
Kamehameha III saw increasing problems
with foreigners. The qovernment,
particularly its white members,
struggled tc achieve an aura of
gravity that would command the respect
of the foreigners m the islands.
Calling upon warships to back up the
claims of foreign citizenry continued
unabated, however. The ability of the
kingdom to survive on its own became
increasingly questionable. David Malo
wrote at this time that "such has
alwavs been the case with large
countries, the small ones have been
eaten up." Evil, he wrote, was at the
door, ready to "come in and bite us."
65/ The treaties the king had already
signed with foreign governments were
disadvantageous to Hawaii and did
little to protect the sovereignty of
the kingdom.
Relations with the French were at a
particularly low ebb. Besides the
religious persecution of Catholics in
Hawaii, the passage of an act in 1838
prohibiting importation and purchase
of distilled liquors and imposing a
3uty of Sl/gallor, oh imported wines
was particularly irksome. The problem
car.e to head in July 1839. The
commander of a French frigate, Captain
Laplace, threatened to use force if
the king did not accede to several
demands made by the French in Hawaii.
To avoid bloodshed, the king signed a
convention with the French (known as
the "Laplace Convention") and
announced a policy of religious
toleration.
The convention the king was forced
to sign contained two clauses that
circumscribed the power of the king:
• Frenchmen accused of "any
crime whatever" would be
judged by a jury composed of
foreigners, proposed by the
French consul; and
• French merchandise was not to
be prohibited n<~>r pay a
higher duty than 5 percent ad
valorem. 66/
To prevent foreign jovernments
from taking further advantage of
Hawaii, the kinq and his council
decided that more formal relationships
should be established with
foreign governments. To accomplish
this, a delegation was sent by the
Hawaiian Government in 1842 to
negotiate for formal recognition and
new treaties with the United States,
Great Britain, and France, to replace
the existing informal and disadvantageous
conventions. The
delegation was composed of Sir George
Simpson (Governor of the Hudson's Bay
Company), William Richards, and
Timothy Haalilio (a Hawaiian in the
Government).
The mission succeeded in the United
States. The first formal recognition
of Hawaii's independence was in the
form of a document given to the
Hawaiian envoys by U.S. Secretary of
State Daniel Webster on December 30,
1842. The document stated that the
United States was more interested in
Hawaii than any other nation and that
"no power ought either to take
{{p|159}}

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 prohibiting importation and purchase
 of distilled liquors and imposing a
-uty of Sl/gallon on imported wines
+duty of $l/gallon on imported wines
 was particularly irksome. The problem
 came to head in July 1839. The
@@ Line 68: / Line 68: @@
 :*Frenchmen accused of "any crime whatever" would be judged by a jury composed of foreigners, proposed by the French consul; and
-:*French merchandise was not to be prohibited n<~>r pay a higher duty than 5 percent ad valorem. <u>66</u>/
+:*French merchandise was not to be prohibited nor pay a higher duty than 5 percent ad valorem. <u>66</u>/
 To prevent foreign governments

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 out the differences between
 constitutions of the Hawaiian Kingdom
-and of the United States. 62/ Unlike
+and of the United States. <u>62</u>/ Unlike
 the system in the United States, the
 Hawaiian monarch was believed to have
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 original constitution was granted by
 the king and not by "We the people."
-/ One Hawaiian writer states that:
+<u>63</u>/ One Hawaiian writer states that:
 "By proposing the action of the
 constitution of 1852 the king set a
 precedent that he could, with the
 consent of the legislature, change the
-constitution." 64/
+constitution." <u>64</u>/
 Relationships with Foreign
-Governments
+===<u>Relationships with Foreign Governments</u>===
 These early years of the reign of
 Kamehameha III saw increasing problems
-with foreigners. The qovernment,
+with foreigners. The government,
 particularly its white members,
-struggled tc achieve an aura of
+struggled to achieve an aura of
 gravity that would command the respect
 of the foreigners m the islands.
@@ Line 32: / Line 33: @@
 increasingly questionable. David Malo
 wrote at this time that "such has
-alwavs been the case with large
+always been the case with large
 countries, the small ones have been
 eaten up." Evil, he wrote, was at the
 door, ready to "come in and bite us."
-/ The treaties the king had already
+<u>65</u>/ The treaties the king had already
 signed with foreign governments were
 disadvantageous to Hawaii and did
 little to protect the sovereignty of
 the kingdom.
 Relations with the French were at a
 particularly low ebb. Besides the
@@ Line 47: / Line 49: @@
 prohibiting importation and purchase
 of distilled liquors and imposing a
-uty of Sl/gallor, oh imported wines
+uty of Sl/gallon on imported wines
 was particularly irksome. The problem
-car.e to head in July 1839. The
+came to head in July 1839. The
 commander of a French frigate, Captain
 Laplace, threatened to use force if
@@ Line 59: / Line 61: @@
 announced a policy of religious
 toleration.
 The convention the king was forced
 to sign contained two clauses that
 circumscribed the power of the king:
-• Frenchmen accused of "any
-crime whatever" would be
+:*Frenchmen accused of "any crime whatever" would be judged by a jury composed of foreigners, proposed by the French consul; and
 judged by a jury composed of
-foreigners, proposed by the
+:*French merchandise was not to be prohibited n<~>r pay a higher duty than 5 percent ad valorem. <u>66</u>/
 French consul; and
-• French merchandise was not to
+To prevent foreign governments
 from taking further advantage of
-Hawaii, the kinq and his council
+Hawaii, the king and his council
 decided that more formal relationships
 should be established with
@@ Line 89: / Line 88: @@
 Timothy Haalilio (a Hawaiian in the
 Government).
 The mission succeeded in the United
 States. The first formal recognition