National holiday in Hawaii
Hawaiian Independence Day
|
---|
Flyer for the 30th anniversary celebration in 1873
|
Official name
| L? K??oko?a
|
---|
Observed by
| Hawaii
|
---|
Significance
| International recognition of the independence of the
Hawaiian Kingdom
|
---|
Date
| November 28
|
---|
Next time
| November 28, 2024
(
2024-11-28
)
|
---|
Frequency
| annual
|
---|
First time
| 1843
|
---|
Related to
| Hawaiian Sovereignty Restoration Day
|
---|
Hawaiian Independence Day
(
Hawaiian
:
L? K??oko?a
) was a national holiday celebrated annually on November 28 to commemorate the signing of Anglo-Franco Proclamation of 1843, the official diplomatic recognition of the independence and sovereignty of the
Hawaiian Kingdom
by Great Britain and France. It is still celebrated today by proponents of the
Hawaiian sovereignty movement
.
Background
[
edit
]
In 1839, Captain
Cyrille Pierre Theodore Laplace
of the French frigate
Artemise
landed in
Honolulu
in what became known as the
Laplace Affair
and forced the Hawaiian government under King
Kamehameha III
to acknowledge the rights of Catholics in his realm with the
Edict of Toleration
. The Hawaiian government also had to pay $20,000 in compensation to the French.
Anticipating further foreign encroachment on Hawaiian territory following the Laplace Affair, King
Kamehameha III
dispatched a diplomatic delegation to the United States and Europe to secure the recognition of Hawaiian independence.
Timoteo Ha?alilio
,
William Richards
and
Sir George Simpson
were commissioned as joint Ministers Plenipotentiary on April 8, 1842. Simpson left for Great Britain while Ha?alilio and Richards went to the United States on July 8, 1842. The Hawaiian delegation secured the assurance of United States President
John Tyler
on December 19, 1842 of Hawaiian independence and then met Simpson in Europe to secure formal recognition by the United Kingdom and France. Their first meeting with British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen
on February 22, 1843 was unsuccessful. Traveling to Brussels and then Paris, the Hawaiian delegation gained the support of King
Leopold I of Belgium
who was sympathetic and promise to use his influence to help them gain recognition. On March 17, 1843, French foreign minister
Francois Guizot
, on behalf of King
Louis Philippe I
, assured them that the French government would recognize Hawaiian independence. After returning to London, on April 1, 1843, Lord Aberdeen, on behalf of
Queen Victoria
, assured the Hawaiian delegation, "Her Majesty's Government was willing and had determined to recognize the independence of the Sandwich Islands under their present sovereign."
While the diplomatic party was away, a British naval captain
Lord George Paulet
, without the authorization of his superiors,
unilaterally occupied
the kingdom of Hawaii in the name Queen Victoria despite the protests of the Hawaiian government. After a five-month occupation, Rear-Admiral
Richard Darton Thomas
, the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Station, restored sovereignty to Kamehameha III. This event on July 31, 1843 was later commemorated as
Sovereignty Restoration Day
(L? Ho?iho?i Ea).
On November 28, 1843, at the Court of London, the British and French governments formally recognized the independence of the Kingdom of Hawaii in the Anglo-Franco Proclamation, a joint declaration by France and Britain, signed by Lord Aberdeen and the
Comte de Saint-Aulaire
, representatives of Queen Victoria and King Louis-Philippe, respectively. The United States declined to join in the proclamation stating that in order for such a recognition to be binding, it would require a formal treaty ratified by the
United States Senate
.
Historical observance
[
edit
]
The anniversary of the Anglo-Franco Proclamation on November 28 was subsequently made a public holiday during the Hawaiian monarchy.
In 1898, the legislature of the
Republic of Hawaii
made November 28
Thanksgiving Day
.
After the annexation of Hawaii to the United States, the holiday lost official recognition.
Modern-day observance
[
edit
]
It is still celebrated today by proponents of the
Hawaiian sovereignty movement
.
Attempts have been made to restore it as an official holiday in the state of Hawaii.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Ho?okahua Staff (November 2014).
"Mission Accomplished: International Recognition of Hawai?i Achieved in 1843"
.
Kaleinamanu Hawaiian Cultural Center, Kamehameha Schools
. Retrieved
September 3,
2011
.
- Kuykendall, Ralph Simpson
(1965) [1938].
The Hawaiian Kingdom 1778?1854, Foundation and Transformation
. Vol. 1. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
ISBN
0-87022-431-X
.
OCLC
47008868
.
- Lauer, Nancy Cook (October 8, 2015).
"County Council recognizes Hawaiian Independence Day"
.
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
. Hilo
. Retrieved
November 5,
2017
.
- Pang, Gordon Y. K. (November 26, 2006).
"Group honors Independence Day"
.
The Honolulu Advertiser
. Honolulu: Black Press
. Retrieved
March 16,
2010
.
- Schmitt, Robert C. (1995). "Holidays in Hawai?i".
Hawaiian Journal of History
.
29
. Honolulu: Hawaiian Historical Society: 141?146.
hdl
:
10524/338
.
- Severson, Don R.; Horikawa, Michael D.; Saville, Jennifer (2002).
Finding Paradise: Island Art in Private Collections
. Honolulu: Honolulu Academy of Arts; University of Hawai?i Press.
ISBN
978-0-8248-2657-4
.
OCLC
123158782
.
- Thrum, Thomas G., ed. (1892).
"History of the Provisional Cession of the Hawaiian Islands and Their Restoration"
.
Hawaiian Almanac and Annual for 1893
. Honolulu: Honolulu Star-Bulletin. pp. 45?70.
hdl
:
10524/663
.
- Thrum, Thomas G., ed. (1898).
"The Days We Celebrate ; Holidays and Their Observance"
.
Hawaiian Almanac and Annual for 1898
. Honolulu: Honolulu Star-Bulletin. pp. 62?69.
hdl
:
10524/23170
.
- Thrum, Thomas G., ed. (1909).
Hawaiian Holidays
. Honolulu: Honolulu Star-Bulletin. pp. 110?116.
- Thrum, Thomas G., ed. (1929). "Holiday Observances In Monarchial Days".
Hawaiian Almanac and Annual for 1930
. Honolulu: Honolulu Star-Bulletin. pp. 101?106.
hdl
:
10524/32427
.