I would like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to Mr. Mark W. Gallop for his generous funding of the Mr. Mark W. Gallop Arts Undergraduate Research Internship Award. 鈥淯a Mau ke Ea o ka 驶膧ina i ka Pono鈥� means 鈥淭he life of the land is perpetuated through correct governance.鈥� King Kamehameha III spoke these words on July 31, 1843, the same day the Hawaiian Kingdom鈥檚 independence was restored after a brief but impactful overthrow of its sovereign government. My project uses Kamehameha鈥檚 words as its title to acknowledge not only the significance of this moment in history but also to address the prevailing question of the Hawaiian Kingdom: What defines 鈥渃orrect governance鈥�?
In the late 1830s, the Hawaiian Kingdom made significant changs to their government, including the publication of a Declaration of Independence, the adoption of a constitution modelled on Britain鈥檚 constitutional monarchy, and the integration of Christianity into their politics and culture. These changes occurred during a period of heightened imperial interference in the Pacific, particularly in the Marquesas Islands, New Zealand, and Tahiti. Fearing annexation, the Hawaiian Kingdom sent Messrs. Timoteo Ha驶alilio and William Richards on a diplomatic mission to the United States, England, Belgium, and France in 1842. Their mission aimed to advertise Hawaiian progress in civilization and 鈥渃orrect governance鈥� in order to be protected under the banner of Western civilization. What began with Dr. Arista鈥檚 instruction to compile a database of historical newspapers referencing the mission evolved into a research paper on the various influences shaping Hawaiian governance in the mid-nineteenth century.
Soon after I began my research, several recurring themes emerged in English-language newspapers based primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hawai驶i. First, issues of race permeated narratives about the Hawaiian envoys鈥� mission. In 1843, Ha驶alilio suffered a racist incident aboard the Globe, a steamer traveling from New York City to New Haven. Because of his skin color, he was forced to sit with the servants, while Richards, a man of lower rank, was allowed to sit with white passengers. Southern and Northern newspapers interpreted this insult differently. Southern papers pointed to Northern hypocrisy on race, while Northern papers blamed the Tyler administration and the South鈥檚 continued practice of slavery. As an Indigenous Hawaiian, Ha驶alilio was racialized within a Black-White binary, revealing that race served as a barrier not only to his personal dignity but also to Hawaiian sovereignty. This racism aligned with a second theme: the narrative of so-called 鈥渂arbaric鈥� peoples transforming into a civilized Christian nation. Ha驶alilio and Richards even adopted this framework themselves to prove to foreign powers that Hawai驶i could govern independently. The third theme centred on imperial competition. Hawai驶i鈥檚 strategic position as a bridge between East and West made it a prime target for annexation, and various imperial powers sought either to control it or to prevent their rivals from doing so.
Researching the Hawaiian Kingdom has been both rewarding and challenging. Due to limited scholarship on the subject, most of the available sources are primary documents, and those written originally in Hawaiian have not yet been translated into English. Unfortunately, I do not speak or read Hawaiian, which prevented me from engaging with many texts written by Indigenous Hawaiians. Most of the English-language narratives I encountered came from historical newspapers and missionary memoirs鈥攕ources that often portray Hawai驶i as a 鈥渂arbaric鈥� and disorganized nation saved by Christian missionaries in the nineteenth century. As a historian, I had to read between the lines to uncover deeper truths about imperialism, race, and religion embedded in these narratives. This process stretched my critical thinking skills and helped me recognize the biases that shape my own historical perspectives. When I began this project, I had only a rudimentary understanding of Hawaiian history. This research has allowed me to explore a period long neglected by both popular and academic history. My professor and I are among the first scholars to thoroughly examine the consequences and motivations behind the 1842 diplomatic mission and the Paulet Affair.
This groundbreaking research would not have been possible without the financial support of Dr. Arista, the Arts Internship Office, and my donor, Mr. Mark W. Gallop. Having the past eleven weeks to focus exclusively on this project without distractions allowed me to fully dedicate myself to studying and writing about the Hawaiian Kingdom. The Arts Undergraduate Research Internship Award (ARIA) has been a life-changing opportunity that will continue to shape my future as a historian.
