Historical Mythbusting

Book Review: Hawaiian Sovereignty: Do the Facts Matter? by Thurston Twigg-Smith Goodale Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2008. Hardcover ISBN 0-9662945-0-5. Softcover ISBN 0-9662945-1-3.

By Malia Hill

Thurston Twigg-Smith's Hawaiian Sovereignty: Do the Facts Matter? is a brisk trade wind that cuts through the morass of propaganda and distortions that all too often masquerade as the historical account of Hawaii's path to revolution and annexation. In a world where terms like “different truths” have come to dominate the study of history, Twigg-Smith's bracing approach still believes in the value of such things as objective research, unvarnished facts, and disclosure of bias. In the ten years since the book's original publication, the sovereignty question has become so highly politicized that a refresher course in historical fact may be just what Hawai'i needs to preserve its sense of aloha and ohana.

On its face, the question posed in the book's title, “Do the Facts Matter?” seems to be a rhetorical one. How could the facts not matter? Aren't they really the heart of the issue? However, in placing this question at the forefront of the book, Twigg-Smith reveals both his motivation for writing and his hope for the future. Revealing that he is descended from the first missionaries to arrive in Hawaii and is the grandson of Lorrin A. Thurston (one of the architects of the Hawaiian Revolution of 1893) , Twigg-Smith is upfront about his desire to set the record straight regarding the actions of his forebears. But this disclosure of intent is far from an indication that this will be an attempt to whitewash history. Twigg-Smith was the publisher of the Honolulu Advertiser until 1993, and takes a highly journalistic approach to researching and reporting the atmosphere and events of the revolution. The style and sheer volume of information makes it clear that this is an attempt to present a clearer and more objective picture of the Revolutionists and their actions than is usually described in the more common romanticized accounts of pre-revolutionary Hawaii. Early on, Twigg-Smith confesses that he was moved to write this book based on common mischaracterizations of the Revolutionists as racists or worse who “stole” the land. The facts—and they do, of course, matter—paint a much more complex story that properly places the 1893 Revolution and later annexation within the proper historical context.

With the hindsight of history, it has become easy to underestimate the expansionist drive that was such a significant part of global politics in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Twigg-Smith does his best to remind the reader of the precarious nature of Hawaii's existence following the end of the Kamehameha Dynasty and the fact that simple political pragmatism meant that Hawaii needed the support of a powerful friendly nation in the face of the strategic and economic value that made so many countries, from Russia to Japan, interested in its acquisition. (Twigg-Smith points out that even Kamehameha I and Kamehameha IV had sought a possible arrangement with Britain, while Kamehameha III had explored annexation by the US as early as 1848. ) As he leads readers through the turbulent political history of the Kalakaua and Lili'uokalani years, he takes on the herculean task of stripping away a romanticized monarchy to show the corruption, fiscal irresponsibility, and attempts to thwart democracy that led directly to the 1893 revolution. It seems strange that it is so necessary to defend the democratic impulse, as such revolutionaries are generally the heroes of history, but it is easier for modern sovereignty advocates to ignore thwarted tyranny than to admit that the Revolutionists were defending basic democratic principles.

Twigg-Smith has several obvious goals as he goes through the events leading up to (and following) the Revolution, from describing the political situation to setting the record straight on the depth of American involvement in the Revolution itself. But where he most shines is in his descriptions of the motivations and actions of the leaders of the Revolution. His fact-based approach deprives him of the pseudo-historical indulgence of speculating on their thoughts and feelings. Instead, he subscribes to the, “show, don't tell,” philosophy of storytelling, describing the Revolutionists' lives and careers in a simple, honest way that highlights how ludicrous it is to paint these men as anything other than concerned civic leaders who did what they thought was best for Hawai'i. Clearly, this was no cabal of missionaries and sugar interests. (in fact, perhaps the most powerful sugar baron in Hawaii at the time was a monarchist—possibly because of the influence that he and his wealth had with the Queen. ) Instead, we see that these men identified themselves as Hawaiians, regardless of their ethnic ancestry. In fact, it is inspiring to see that Hawaii's legacy of racial inclusiveness has such an distinguished pedigree.

The author goes to great pains to demonstrate that the actions of the Revolutionists were independent of American influence, despite their plainly stated goal of annexation. The myth that the 1893 Revolution was the result of an American conspiracy is demolished as Twigg-Smith painstakingly records the communications between the Revolutionists, the American Minister to Hawaii, the US military, and Lili'uokalani. The roots of the myth are exposed as Twigg-Smith analyzes Lili'uokalani's spurious claim to be surrendering to American force in the light of her subsequent efforts to regain the throne with the assistance of the US government. And the two contemporary US government reports on the Revolution, the Blount report and the Congressional inquiry (the Morgan Report) , are analyzed in depth. The primary result of the exhaustive analysis of motivations and methodologies serves to highlight how the biased and poorly researched Blount report has been deceptively used in a modern era that is too lazy to consider the original intent of this highly politicized document. Indeed, if there is any criticism to be leveled at Hawaiian Sovereignty, it would be the way that it hints at the existence of a strong partisan divide in Washington DC over the question of support for the Queen and annexation. Though it is clear that this was a highly partisan issue, with different presidential administrations taking very different sides, Twigg-Smith chooses not to delve too deeply into this aspect of the issue. (No doubt to save the reader the hundreds of pages it would likely take to provide sufficient background on the political landscape of late 19th century America. )

How strange it is that we have come to a point where an effort to present objective facts can be seen as a political position. As Twigg-Smith takes us through the Revolution and annexation to clear up myths about the monarchy, the provisional government, and land distribution, it is obvious that he is taking aim at the common distortions of a certain wing of the sovereignty movement. In many ways, his effort is reminiscent of the early civil rights leaders, as he emphasizes the fundamental resiliency and pride of the people of Hawaii and expresses doubts about the culture of victimization and divisiveness that had begun to shape the sovereignty position. Ten years after the book's publication, it is sobering to see how fully that culture has become entrenched. Just as Twigg-Smith feared, it now threatens Hawaii's sense of community. Hawaiian Sovereignty: Do the Facts Matter? is a much-needed reminder that when it comes to preserving the spirit of Hawaii, the truth shall set you free.

Malia Hill holds a J.D. from the Catholic University of America, as well as a B.A. from Mt. St. Mary's College, where she studied history and philosophy. With family from all over the Islands, she spent many years living and working in Hawaii. Her studies included research on race and the plantation system, and she even spent some time working in the Hawaii State Legislature. She currently resides near Washington DC, and misses the ocean terribly. She can be contacted at pmbhill@gmail.com.