Rise of the Kingdom Of Hawaii

[chris N]

The King had managed to avoid a potential conflict with France. He was well aware that there must be no more of these conflicts that might trigger intervention by an outside power. Increasingly there were Americans arriving in Hawaii. Some of them had traveled through the Straits of Magellan in route to California.
The King was always looking for people that might help him to advance the government,.
Thus in 1846 two Americans aboard a ship that was bound for Oregon stopped in Hawaii to pick up provisions. William Little and his friend Charles Bishop were about to make a life changing decision because of the decision of the captain to stop in Hawaii. My William Little was a Harvard trained lawyer and his friend was a former business clerk. Both were encourage to remain in Hawaii. Mr Little helped to fill in a desperate need for lawyers. He quickly found many clients but it was a summons to the Royal Palace that would forever tie him to the new land. The King was trying to establish a fair legal system. He offered Mr Little the post of Chief Justice of the Hawaiian Supreme Court.

 

[chris N]

The King wanted the Hawaiian court system to be the equal of both the American and British Court systems. He did not want any other country to attempt to set up extra territorial rights in Hawaii, Chief Justice Little promised that he would do his best to make sure that the Hawaiian legal system would function and that there would be no challenges. He knew that to do that he would need to have a lot more lawyers.
The Royal College was traing a lot of people put everything took time. The King continued to fund the education of outstanding students that wouls be lawyers, doctors, engineers , Military/Naval officers or teachers.
Still once again there was a limit to how much funds were available.

 

[chris N]

The King and his advisers continued to do everything they could to improve trade. Some crops brought into the islands just would not grow but for the most part there was no quick fix, Growing coffee on the islands was a good idea it just was one that would take years to properly develop. Thus the payoff would be in the future.
The port of Honolulu was developing. It was a source that more ships bound to and from Asia would use. Hawaii emulated Great Britain in a number of ways the Royal Hawaiian Constabulary was patterned after Sir Robert Peel's London Bobbies. Thus the King was pushing to have a first class legal system and a police force that would be as good as the one that had been established in Great Britain.

 

[chris N]

The King continued to press to expand the Hawaiian economy. The goal was to expand the economy without allowing a small group of foreigners
to gain a stranglehold. The Sugar and Pineapple industry was growing ,Money was coming into the treasury but there was always projects that were begging for money.
The Royal Hawaiian Navy was seeking to have another ship added to it.But there was a move to carry out a study so that any ship that was built would be the most modern and capable.

 

[chris N]

The late 1840's saw an increase in the Hawaiian economy. New businesses brought more jobs and and increasing flow of money into the economy. People Like Charles Bishop saw a chance to make money and to build a fortune for both themselves and for the nation. The young American ex-patriot began to think of himself as an Hawaiian rather than an American living in Hawaii.

 

[David S Poepoe]

The King continued to press to expand the Hawaiian economy. The goal was to expand the economy without allowing a small group of foreigners
to gain a stranglehold. The Sugar and Pineapple industry was growing ,Money was coming into the treasury but there was always projects that were begging for money.
The Royal Hawaiian Navy was seeking to have another ship added to it.But there was a move to carry out a study so that any ship that was built would be the most modern and capable.

The sugar and pineapple industry doesn't make sense for the 1840s. Hawaiian sugar was profitable because the sugar industry of the American South had been savaged by the American Civil War and didn't begin to recover until the 1880s or later. Also, Hawaii didn't initially have pineapple, at least of the variety we are familiar with. Also, pineapple became an profitable crop in the declining years of sugar.

 

[chris N]

Fine. Any suggestion for any other industries which might boost the Hawaiian economy.

 

[David S Poepoe]

Fine. Any suggestion for any other industries which might boost the Hawaiian economy.

That is a problem that Hawaiian leaders faced historically. There were a lot of things tried and discovered to be too expensive to make any profit. The islands were self-sufficient to begin with and they don't have much, outside sandlewood that was depleted, that is marketable.

 

[chris N]

Hawaii's leadership continued to search for anything that might improve the Hawaiian economy. Unfortunately a lot of the ideas had turned out to be not very successful. They were either ahead of their time or too costly for the 19th century technology to make a go of.
One idea was to import cattle from North America but this presented many problems. It would appear that Hawaii would have to depend upon the sea trade to help to bring in revenue. The discovery of gold in the newly acquired American territory of California saw increased movement of people around south America of through Panama.
The Mexican_American Conflict had gone on for longer than in OTL and the US had as a result annexed more. But that was of no concern to Hawaii.

 

[chris N]

Having done some further research it appears that the California Gold rush of the late 1840's began a demand for Sugar. It was this demand that helped to spur the growth of the Sugar Plantation industry. There is little doubt that the damage caused by the Civil War gave another shot in the Arm to the sugar industry in the Hawaiian islands.
One thing that I am going to try to do is to prevent foreign control of the Hawaiian Sugar Plantations this will I hope undermined the movement that might topple the Monarch.
The year 1850 marks the introduction of a professional Fire Department as the King pushed it.
One thing that will have changed is the fact that improved Health care has reduced the massive loss of the Polynesian population due to European illness. Without a doubt there would still be an importation of labor into the islands.

 

[David S Poepoe]

One thing that I am going to try to do is to prevent foreign control of the Hawaiian Sugar Plantations this will I hope undermined the movement that might topple the Monarch.

The sugar plantations were not foreign controlled, the individuals who founded them held both Hawaiian and American citizenship being Hawaiian born Americans (ie children of the Missionaries). It might be good to have the Hawaiian government force the issue upon outlawing dual citizenship. There may be a few examples historically of state-run companies in the 1840s-1850s, but I'm not really aware of them.

In developing an ATL for Hawaii I usually only do small changes for these years since there are so few realistic alternatives.

 

[chris N]

A proposal was made to King Kamehameha III that dual citizenship needed to be ended. For a person to own land one had to be a citizen of Hawaii.
No longer could one be a citizen of another country and Hawaii. Hopefully this would help to avoid future problems.
The King continued to promote those improvements that would make things better.
The Hawaiian economy was benefiting from the Californian Gold rush.
Hawaii was able to provide goods such as sugar that simply could not be gotten any place else.
Still on the whole there was little else that I can see taking place.
One other item the King as in OTL chose this time to make a major reform by an organizing of the Royal Hawaiian Postal Service,

 

[LeCHVCK]

How do American-Hawaiian people react? I mean they now have to choose between Hawaii and the us.

 

[chris N]

Most countries do not allow dual citizenship. I suspect that there will be some people that are unhappy about it but there were people that came to the islands from the United States and Europe that would see no problem with it. The question needs to be asked where is ones loyalty? Is it to the country that you came from or the one that you moved to to make a new life?
1851 The King signs a secret agreement that Obligates the US to protect it from French Aggression. At the same time work begins on a formal agreement between Great Britain and Hawaii.
The First Court House is constructed in Honolulu by prisoners cutting coral for its construction. The Privy council authorizes the first official Hawaiian stamps. The collection will be called the Missionaries.

 

[funnyhat]

Also, you may want to have Kamehameha II meet with George IV and then die of measles. It would only be a few days difference, but it may establish some closer ties between the nations.

It's hard to imagine that in the age before air travel and even the Panama Canal, the sovereign monarch of Hawaii would go on a long, long voyage to England. He might send emissaries, but go himself? Why would a king subject himself to many weeks of misery at sea?

 

[David S Poepoe]

It's hard to imagine that in the age before air travel and even the Panama Canal, the sovereign monarch of Hawaii would go on a long, long voyage to England. He might send emissaries, but go himself? Why would a king subject himself to many weeks of misery at sea?

Did you every here the story about King Kalakaua being the first monarch to circumnavigate the world? He was also the first crowned head of state to address the US Congress.

I would consider that if one really wanted to see the world they would have to travel.

 

[chris N]

Yes I also recall that King Kalakaula wanted to travel and see the world. He also designed Torpedo boats and tried to get the Brazilian Emperor interested in building them. As far as a monarch traveling outside of his country that great distance remember that Richard the Lion-heart travel from England to the Middle East to fight in the Crusades. Also at least on of the Russian Grand Dukes visited the United states during the Post Civil War period.

 

[chris N]

One Must also point out the fact that the Polynesian settlers of Hawaii traveled a long distance to settle Hawaii. Thus King Kamehameha II travel to Great Britain would not seem to be out of character.

 

[chris N]

1852 The Kingdom of Hawaii signs treaties with Norway and Denmark. Marking the beginning of a series of diplomatic agreements. Hawaii and Great Britain begin work on a treaty which will see Great britain agreeing to prevent the occupation of Hawaii by any power.
The revised Constitution of 1852 grants all males that are citizens of Hawaii the right to vote in election. The King and the Privy council agree to consider granting woman the right to vote. A proposal to alter the House of Noble from Heredity to lifetime appointments is rejected.
The death of a Whaler while in Custody had led to the Whalers that were in port rioting. The Royal Hawaiian Constabulary appealed to the governor and the National government for help as the police force was heavily outnumbered..
The result was that three battalions (2,400 soldiers) arrived and they were able to help restore order while keeping the use of lethal force to a minimum. Several Hundred Whalers ere arrested and charges and fines were level on those responsible.
It was made clear that lawlessness would not be premitted..

 

[chris N]

Hawaii had taken a big step in improving the health of the people. The medical facilities on the islands were a lot better than they had been 25 years before. The death of King Kamehameha II had spur a drive to make sure that never again would European illnesses be able to kill so many. By 1852 there were now two Hospitals and plus at least 1 clinic on every island. the number of doctors had increased greatly but there was still a long way to go. In 1853 there was an outbreak of smallpox. However do to the improvements that had been made the number of deaths was small. If it had happen 25 years earlier it might have killed 25 % of the Hawaiian population.
The government had ordered a census in an effort to see what the current population of the islands were. At one time the Polynesian population had been over 400,000. Some feared that it could be as low as 80,000 but an actual count showed that better healthcare, improved sanitation had seen the population make a come back. The population of Native Hawaiians had grown so that there were now 190,000.
The need for additional workers had seen the first arrival of Chinese workers in the islands.