The ' ( Hawaiian: "opposition") Petitions of 1897 were a

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

against the

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

of Hawaii by the United States. Also referred to as the "monster petition". It was organized by Hui Aloha ʻĀina.

History

The majority of the population of the

Hawaiian Kingdom The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands. It was established in 1795 w ...

in the late 1890s was vociferously opposed to annexation. In a single weeklong

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...

drive in 1897, 21,269 signatures — representing well over half of the native adult population of Hawaii at the time — were procured by horseback, boat and foot travel by members of Hui Aloha ʻĀina (Hawaiian Patriotic League). Names on the petition were from loyal subjects of the Hawaiian Kingdom many of which were Asian because of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 that threatened the voting rights of the Asian population in the Hawaiian Kingdom. These petitions were hand-carried to Washington and delivered to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

by a commission of Native Hawaiian delegates consisting of James Keauiluna Kaulia (president of Hui Aloha ʻĀina), David Kalauokalani (president of Hui Kālaiʻāina), William Auld, and John Richardson.

Text

The text of the petitions is as follows: ''"To his Excellency

WILLIAM McKINLEY William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

, President, and the Senate, of the United States of America.'' ''Greeting -'' ''Whereas there has been submitted to the Senate of the United States of America a treaty for the Annexation of the Hawaiian Islands to the said United States of America, for consideration at its regular session in December A.D. 1897; therefore,'' ''We the undersigned, native Hawaiian citizens and residents of the district of.............Island of.........who are members of the Women's Hawaiian Patriotic League of the Hawaiian Islands, and others who are in sympathy with the said league, earnestly protest against the annexation of the said Hawaiian Islands to the United States of America in any form or shape."''

Effect

After receiving the petitions, the United States Senate in 1898 failed to approve the annexation treaty by the necessary two-thirds majority. Annexation was then effected under the

Newlands Resolution The Newlands Resolution, , was a joint resolution passed on July 7, 1898, by the United States Congress to annexation, annex the independent Republic of Hawaii. In 1900, Congress created the Territory of Hawaii. The resolution was drafted by R ...

References

External links

* 1890s in Hawaii Republic of Hawaii 1897 in Hawaii 1897 documents {{Hawaii

History

Text

Effect

See also

Further reading

References

External links