Kamehameha I versus Kamehameha V - Essay Example

Kamehameha I versus Kamehameha V Kamehameha I In the ancient Hawaii tradition, Kamehameha means “the lonely one” and as a young boy, Kamehameha kept to himself away from everyone.1 After being exiled and learning the art of war, Kamehameha I became a great warrior for his chief and was highly regarded by his people. He later killed Kiwalao after a land dispute and became chief of the land at an early age. Kamehameha interacted with Captain Cook, who was the first British envoy to his land and was impressed by the sophistication of their weapons.2 Kamehameha used the British cannons and guns to his advantage as he waged war to the other Hawaii islands in quest to control them. The first war he waged was in Hana area of Maui, to fight with Kalanikupule’s army under the leadership of Kapakilili. With the war evenly leveled out and with no definite winner, Kamehameha used the British acquired cannons to his advantage, and completely massacred Kapililis army. 3 Kamehemeha’s greatest enemy was Keaua in Hile; who at that time was dividing land among his chiefs, and declared war on the reign of Kamehamela I. With the fierce rivalry between them, Kamehameha I sought for trickery and invited Keaua to come for a peace sacrifice to the god of war, Heiau. Keaua attended the sacrifice ignoring advice from his generals of Kamehameha intentions, and his canoe was attacked and he was eventually killed.. In 1795, Kemehameha’s war party went to Maui, then Molakai, and he later sailed to Oahu where he conquered these lands. Kalanikupule’s forces were routed at Naauanu, and his chiefs and warriors were all killed. Kalanikupules escaped and hid for two years, and was later captured by Kamehameha and killed. This signified the end of war and the entire island of Hawaii were unified and enjoyed peace under the reign of Kamehameha. Kamehameha used the rule of law based on the traditional religion to control the island, and one of the major laws in place was the rule of the splintering paddle.4 The rule stated that punishment for robbery and murder was death by the paddle in public. Not new to treachery, Kamehameha kept his chiefs near his court as he closely observed them. 5 George Vancouver, a British emissary to North West coast became a great friend to Kamehameha and eventually Kamehameha ceded Hawaii to British rule. Kamehameha had to restructure his government to be in accordance to the British Empire demands; on the agreement, the British Empire was not to interfere with the running of the islands. Kamehameha had to seek advice from two of the British counsels in the land, leading to the introduction of governors to run each of the four islands, who reported to Kamehameha, and he answered to the British government. The succession of this was the increased trade between the two states, as Vancouver introduced horned cattle to the island, which laid foundation to the cattle industry in the islands. As in accordance with the ceded agreement with king George of Britain in 1794, Kamehameha welcomed foreigners to the land and increased trade with them. They traded pigs, salt, firewood and fresh water for tea, silk, guns and iron tools from the British and Spanish traders. Although Vancouver did not involve with the war in the islands, he advised and designed ships for Kamehameha, which he used to wage war to his enemies.6 Upon nearing his death, he named his son as his successor and named him Kamehameha II, and in the process forbid the rituals which required men to be sacrificed to the gods upon the death of the king. Kamehameha V In 1863, Kamehameha IV died unexpectedly leaving the empire with no heir and in accordance with article 25 of the constitution of 1952 in the country, Premier Victoria declared Lot Kapuaiwa as the successor.7 Kamehameha V refused to be sworn into office until the 1852 constitution was altered to remove the sovereign prorogation. He led a delegates committees consisting of the electorate and nobles, wanting to increase the power of the king in the constitution. He proposed a new draft constitution to the meeting and although it had similar articles to the previous one, it included article 62 that sought to control the voting rights of the electorate. It stated that for the Hawaiian people to vote, they had to meet some requirements; first they had to be literate, possess some property in the country and/or at least have some income qualification in the country. This brought disagreements between the delegates and not reaching an agreement, Kamehameha V dissolved the meeting. He nullified the constitution and declared his draft one as law in 1864, as he stated that the electorate has to be educated to make informed decisions. The noble and king wanted the property qualification in the electorate to remain as to limit the number of voters. In the end, the constitution only proclaimed the property article and left the literacy as the only qualification for a person to vote. Kamehameha V eliminated the office of the premier in his new constitution, and the monarch became the ruling entity in the country. He believed in the sovereignty of the country from external control namely the British government; moreover, no deed of the emperor was effective until witnessed by a minister of the cabinet, who is answerable to the legislative. Moreover, he restructured the government and created new structures namely executive; consisting of the cabinet and king, a legislative assembly comprising of elected representatives and judiciary to ensure the law was adhered to. Property requirements for the representatives were revised under his rule and minority population had more say in the government.8 The action of the crown was limited by the constitution and was accountable to the national assembly, thereby limiting the power of the king in his new constitution. Similarities and Differences between Kamehameha I and Kamehameha V One similarity between Kamehameha I and Kamehameha V is their love to protect and unify the country under the rule of law. Kamehameha I fought for the better part of his rule against other chiefs to try uniting the land and rule as one. This is evidenced with his declaration of war on other islands starting with Maui Islands, the resulting war with Kapakilili and death of his greatest threat Keaua. After the death of the Keaua, he managed to unite the whole country under his rule; Kamehameha V took a different approach to unite his kingdom, as he took it to become rule of law under the constitution. He managed to increase the power laid upon the crown king by the constitution and bridged the gap between the people and the law making by introducing a legislative council comprising of members elected by the people . 9 In addition, they were in the need to rule the country under laws and order they set for the better good. Kamehameha 1 after uniting the whole kingdom introduced splintering paddle rule to punish lawlessness committed by people. He also used their traditional religion to rule the country and sought council from his trusted advisors, namely Vancouver and before making any decision in the country.10 Kamelahela V also set rules that he thought would benefit the country, and instead of imposing his draft constitution, he first sought to amend the existing 1852 constitution. When the delegates meeting failed to be fruitful is when he declared his draft constitution law and nullified the 1952 constitution. These rules limited his power and called for more accountability from all the arms of the government. Some of the differences that are there between the kings’ Kamehameha I and V are the approaches they took in handling the government affairs. Kamehameha I used the iron fist rule, and wage war on all other lands in order to control them. He killed all his enemies and chiefs of other lands beginning with Kiwalao after a land dispute and Keoua in Hilo in order to control the land. Kamehameha V took the diplomatic approach and used the constitution of the land to bring change to the country, and in 1864, he proclaimed a new constitution. Kamehameha I ceded the control of his land and kingship to the British Empire, with the signing of an accord with king George of England in 1794, under the supervision of George Vancouver. He restricted the government to meet the requirement of the British premier and allowed for governors and chiefs to control the country. On taking oath into office, Kamehameha V sought to take power of the office from the premier back to his own. He introduced a new constitution that ended the role of a premier and added more power to the king and cabinet, this reduced the influence of the British government in the running of the Hawaii kingdom. 11 In addition, Kamehameha I had to fight battles and wars, use guns and cannons to defeat great armies of his enemies, and use treachery to trick and kill those who threatened his authority. He had to first kill Kawalao, to become chief and hence was able to wage war on the other islands. On the other hand, Kamehameha V was declared king by the Premier Victoria upon the unexpected death of the Kamehameha IV, in accordance to their constitution of the country. These kings had both the best interest of their country at heart when they took control of the kingdom. Kamehameha I envisioned a united kingdom and at that time the only way he was to achieve that was through war, he laid grounds for his lineage to allow the kingdom remain united. Kamehameha V envisioned an absolute state where accountability and everyone is represented in the legislative. He achieved this by introducing a new constitution that made the kingdom strong upon his death. Bibliography Kanae, Chantel et al. Kamehameha V: Lot Kapuaiwa. Accessed 1 May 2013 http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2010/03/02/09-15448.pdf Kuykendall, Ralph S.. The Hawaiian Kingdom. Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 1938. Kuykendall, Ralph S.. The Hawaiian Kingdom. Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 1953. Sai, Keanu david. The American occupation of the hawaiian kingdom: Beginning the transition from occupied to restored state. A dissertation submitted to the graduate division of the University of Hawaii. Accessed 1 May 2013 http://uploads.worldlibrary.net/uploads/pdf/elib/collect/kam1haw/index/assoc/d0.dir/book.pdf Williams, Julie Stewart, and Robin Yoko Racoma. Kamehameha the Great. Rev. ed. Honolulu, Hawai ªi: Kamehameha Schools/Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, Community Education Division, Intermediate Reading Program, 1993. Wong, Helen, and Ann Rayson. Hawaiis royal history. Rev. ed. Honolulu, HI: Bess Press, 1987. Read More