National Holiday: Restoration Day

Today is July 31st which is a national holiday in the Hawaiian Kingdom called “Restoration day,” and it is directly linked to another holiday observed on November 28th called “Independence day.” Here is a brief history of these two celebrated holidays.

Kam IIIIn the summer of 1842, Kamehameha III moved forward to secure the position of the Hawaiian Kingdom as a recognized independent state under international law. He sought the formal recognition of Hawaiian independence from the three naval powers of the world at the time—Great Britain, France, and the United States. To accomplish this, Kamehameha III commissioned three envoys, Timoteo Ha‘alilio, William Richards, who at the time was still an American Citizen, and Sir George Simpson, a British subject. Of all three powers, it was the British that had a legal claim over the Hawaiian Islands through cession by Kamehameha I, but for political reasons the British could not openly exert its claim over the other two naval powers. Due to the islands prime economic and strategic location in the middle of the north Pacific, the political interest of all three powers was to ensure that none would have a greater interest than the other. This caused Kamehameha III “considerable embarrassment in managing his foreign relations, and…awakened the very strong desire that his Kingdom shall be formally acknowledged by the civilized nations of the world as a sovereign and independent State.”

PauletWhile the envoys were on their diplomatic mission, a British Naval ship, HBMS Carysfort, under the command of Lord Paulet, entered Honolulu harbor on February 10, 1843, making outrageous demands on the Hawaiian government. Basing his actions on complaints made to him in letters from the British Consul, Richard Charlton, who was absent from the kingdom at the time, Paulet eventually seized control of the Hawaiian government on February 25, 1843, after threatening to level Honolulu with cannon fire. Kamehameha III was forced to surrender the kingdom, but did so under written protest and pending the outcome of the mission of his diplomats in Europe. News Admiral Thomasof Paulet’s action reached Admiral Richard Thomas of the British Admiralty, and he sailed from the Chilean port of Valparaiso and arrived in the islands on July 25, 1843. After a meeting with Kamehameha III, Admiral Thomas determined that Charlton’s complaints did not warrant a British takeover and ordered the restoration of the Hawaiian government, which took place in a grand ceremony on July 31, 1843. At a thanksgiving service after the ceremony, Kamehameha III proclaimed before a large crowd, ua mau ke ea o ka ‘aina i ka pono (the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness). The King’s statement became the national motto.

The envoys eventually succeeded in getting formal international recognition of the Hawaiian Islands “as a sovereign and independent State.” Great Britain and France formally recognized Hawaiian sovereignty on November 28, 1843 by joint proclamation at the Court of London, and the United States followed on July 6, 1844 by a letter of Secretary of State John C. Calhoun. The Hawaiian Islands became the first Polynesian nation to be recognized as an independent and sovereign State.

The ceremony that took place on July 31 occurred at a place we know today as “Thomas Square” park, which honors Admiral Thomas, and the roads that run along Thomas Square today are “Beretania,” which is Hawaiian for “Britain,” and “Victoria,” in honor of Queen Victoria who was the reigning British Monarch at the time the restoration of the government and recognition of Hawaiian independence took place.

9 thoughts on “National Holiday: Restoration Day

  1. Remember: Education of Hawaii’s political and legal history is the puppet regime’s (State of Hawaii) and all in total, this occupation’s greatest and only weakness………

  2. Aloha Ka kou,

    Yesterday, August 21, 2016, denotes the 57th anniversary of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signing a proclamation making (admitting) Hawai’i the 50th State of the Union.
    The actual date of the signing took place on August 21, 1959, but recognized (not celebrated) on every third Friday in August since that signing.

    Yesterday, August 21, 2016, the local news reported that the Kiawe tree planted back in 1887, at the Halekulani hotel/resort
    (house befitting heaven) fell over at 12:11a.m. in the morning.
    Ironically, the “Bayonet Constitution” was forced upon King Kalakaua in 1887, upon which all American HEWA in Hawaii are based upon. Perhaps the falling of this Kiawe coincides with the significance of the sycamore tree that died on or around 9/11/2001, at the church near ground zero. If I’m not mistaken, the church is where George Washington went to pray before accepting his position as the first U.S. President at Federal hall also near by.

    General George Washington had a vision of 3 wars on American soil, the last being the worst. “Son of Republic, look and learn.”
    See pdf of Washington’s vision on the link below:
    http://www.shemitah-blood-moons.net/jubilee.html

    We shall see how all of this will come to past!

    Aloha will prevail, look and learn!

    A hui hou

  3. As we know early this morning the DOI made a statement (Friday 9/23/2016)

    Civil Beat says: Feds Lay Out ‘Pathway’ To Native Hawaiian Self-Governance

    Hawaii News Now says: Feds finalize pathway for formal relations with Native Hawaiians & Native Hawaiians are eligible for form a sovereign government that would have the same rights as Native American tribes to negotiate directly with the U.S. government.

    As the “ACTING” government “HELLO” Huuuuii I would like to see some kind of support by way of video, facebook, newspaper, social media broadcast to the world and to our Hawaiian Subjects/Nationals/Kanaka Maoli/HAwaiian at Heart, that this statement by the DOI is FALSE!! We are have our National Sovereignty, November 28, 1843 and we are under occupation.

    If there was a time to be vocal and be heard this is one of them, the Lahui is watching and standing, please provide some support today 9/23/2016

    Mahalo

    • I trust educating all people who are open to the Truth is the best way forward to Total Independence and recognition world wide of Hawaii as a Self Governed and Neutral i.e. Peaceful Country. That includes the USA Department of the Interior individual’s as well as and perhaps even more importantly ourselves.

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