On this day in 1893, a revolution was led by local businessmen and sugar planters which caused the Hawaii's Queen Liliuokalani to abdicate, thus setting the stage for Hawaii's annexation, eventual statehood, and the birthplace of the first African-American President, Barack Obama.
For the story as presented by the media, namely, the New York Times, see: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0117.html#article (NOTE: the image of the front page of the NYT has an ad by R.H. Macy, the retailer that is with us today [though for how much longer is another question; the NYT recently said it would return to putting ads on the front page in order to generate needed revenue]). However, was the revolution and the removal of the Queen a popular revolt or was it a cynical power play by American businessmen to maintain their hegemony in Hawaii while being backed by the power of the U.S. military (U.S. Marines and Sailors were brought in by the local U.S. authority in order to "maintain order"; martial law was declared and, in essence, the U.S. military supported the "revolutionaries")? I will leave that question to those who are more familiar with the history of Hawaii to answer. In the meantime, one can read the accounts on Wikipedia (standard disclaimers apply): About the Queen Liliuokalani: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liliuokalani_of_Hawai%27i About the Congressional Blount report which concluded that the U.S. had been involved in the illegal removal of the Queen from office: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blount_Report The Morgan Report followed the Blount Report and contradicted it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Report Bottom Line: quoting from the wikipedia entry on Blount Report: |In 1993, Congress passed and the President signed an |Apology Resolution apologizing for the overthrow of the Kingdom |of Hawaii a century before. For more on the "Apology Resolution" see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apology_Resolution And I bet you thought that overthrowing foreign governments was a recent U.S. innovation. (for Bonus Points: what role was play by the family that owned what would become the Dole foods brand?) On a cheerier note, on this day we have: (see: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20090117.html ) Birthdays: Michelle Obama (45yo) Jim Carrey (47) Kid Rock (38) Muhammad Ali (67; float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!) Maury Povich (70) Don Zimmer (78; for the baseball fans) James Earl Jones (78) Betty White (87; for Golden Girl fans) Al Capone (Born 1899 in Brooklyn, NY: American Entrepreneur) Nevil Shute (1899; "On the Beach" author) Benjamin Franklin (1706; obscure Philadelphian - remembered in the saying "It's all about the Benjamins!") Other notable events: (1961) In his farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against the rise of "the military-industrial complex." (NOTE: which appear to have gone unheeded) And perhaps the most culturally significant event in the 20th century: (1984) The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the private use of home video cassette recorders to tape TV programs did not violate federal copyright laws. Make it a day. -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
