Government of Hawaii

Who Governs the Hawaiian Islands?

Government in Hawaii is similar to other U.S. states but also has several differences. The state constitution was modeled from the constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii, modified to not conflict with the U.S. Constitution.

English and Hawaiian are official languages, though in practice, it’s not required that all official documents be printed in each language, or that government officials be fluent Hawaiian speakers. Admission Day is a state holiday in Hawaii, observed on the third Friday in August.

Pre-Statehood Period

Sovereignty of Hawaii was formally transferred to the United States, at ceremonies at Iolani Palace in Honolulu on Aug. 12, 1898. Sanford Dole spoke as the newly appointed governor of the Territory of Hawaii.

The Hawaiian anthem, Hawaii Pono‘i – with words written by King Kalakaua – was played as the Hawaiian flag was lowered and replaced by the American flag and The Star-Spangled Banner.

The Push for Statehood

Hawaiians pressed for statehood after World War II, but the Congress was reluctant, partly because of social as well as political concerns. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a statehood bill in 1947, but the U.S. Senate refused.

Not until 1959, after Alaska became the 49th state, did Congress vote to let Hawaii enter the Union. Following Alaska’s admission in January, 1959, a new flag with 49 stars was designed and first flew over Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4, 1959.

It would be the official flag for only a year. The 50-star flag became the 27th flag on July 4, 1960 and remains the official flag of the United States until today.

President Dwight Eisenhower signed the bill on March 18, and the question was then proposed to the Hawaiian electorate, who voted for statehood on June 27, 1959 by a margin of about 17-1. Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959.

Post-Statehood Period

In 1969, the construction of a new state capitol was completed. Hawaii’s constitution was drafted in 1950 and became effective in 1959 upon attainment of statehood. A governor elected every four years heads the executive branch.

The legislature has a senate with 25 members elected for four-year terms and a house of representatives with 51 members elected for two-year terms. The state elects two representatives and two senators to the U.S. Congress and has four electoral votes.

Hawaii has long been known as a Democratic state. John A. Burns, a Democrat, was elected governor in 1962 and reelected in 1966 and 1970. Daniel Inouye, a Democratic Hawaii senator was elected in 1962 and was the chairman of the Iran-Contra Committee 1987-1988.

Defense, tourism and food processing have been mainstays of Hawaii’s economy, with the state playing an increasing key role as an economic, educational and cultural bridge between the U.S. and the nations of Asia and the Pacific.

In the 1990s, Hawaiians faced the challenge of preserving the natural beauty of their environment, while accommodating a growing population (especially on Oahu) and a thriving visitor industry. In May 2000, President Bill Clinton issued orders to federal agencies to expand their coastline protection programs, including those protecting Hawaii’s coral reefs.

Native Hawaiians Push for Sovereignty

A prominent political issue in recent years has been the achievement of some form of sovereignty by Native Hawaiians. Control of an estimated two million acres of land is also at stake.

In 1996, a majority of the islands’ roughly 200,000 descendants of indigenous Hawaiians voted to establish some form of self-government. In August 1998, the 100th anniversary of the U.S. annexation of Hawaii, protesters marched in Washington, D.C., demanding their full sovereignty from the federal government.

In July 2000, the movement received support in a rights bill introduced in Congress by Hawaii Senator Daniel Akaka. The bill asked that Native Hawaiians be allowed to form their own government and have status similar to that of American Indians.

Post 9-11 Period

Hawaii’s visitor industry was negatively affected by the 2001 recession, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and the Iraq war in 2003. By April 2003, Hawaii’s visitor industry declined by about one-third since the start of the war with Iraq on March 19, 2003.

That year, the Hawaii Legislature was debating a non-binding resolution condemning portions of the 2001 U.S. Patriot Act and the 2002 Homeland Security Act (which include sweeping new federal powers to combat terrorism) and calling on state and local officials to avoid any actions that threatened the civil rights of any of Hawaii’s residents.

Hawaii would have been the first state to go on record against the Patriot and Homeland Security Acts.

Interesting Facts about Hawaii's State Seal

Hawaii’s state motto, as displayed on the state seal, is “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono” – “The life (sovereignty) of the land is perpetuated in (by) righteousness.” King Kamehameha III made the phrase “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono” a motto of the Hawaiian Kingdom on July 31, 1843. After that Queen Victoria made a public announcement that Hawaii’s sovereignty was finally resorted after the British occupation over Hawaii which lasted for five months. Almost hundreds of years later “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono” on May 1, 1959 became the official motto of the State of Hawaii. Here are some interesting facts about the state seal:

• 1959 represents the date of statehood.
• The rising sun replaces the royal crown and Maltese cross of the original coat of arms and signifies the birth of a new state.
• King Kamehameha the Great and Goddess of Liberty holding the Hawaiian flag replace the two warriors on the royal coat of arms.
• The four stripes of the Hawaiian flag in each of the first and fourth quarters represent the eight main islands.
• Puloulou, or tabu ball and stick, in the second and third quarters was carried before the king and placed before the door of his home, signifying his authority and power.
• Here, it is a symbol of the authority and power of government.
• The phoenix, symbol of death and resurrection, symbolizes the change from the monarchy to a freer democratic form of government.
• The eight taro leaves, flanked by banana foliage and maidenhair fern are typical Hawaiian flora. Taro was the staff of life and had great religious significance.

Hawai‘i Pono‘i