Collaboration between Ali‘i and the American Protestant missionaries resulted in, among other things, the introduction of Christianity, the creation of the Hawaiian written language, widespread literacy, making Western medicine available, and the evolution of a new and distinctive musical tradition with harmony and choral singing.
In addition, the missionaries collaborated with the Chiefs on the promulgation of a constitutional government. William Richards, a member of the Second Company of American Protestant missionaries was instrumental in transforming Hawaiian governance, through a constitution with individual rights.
In a March 15, 1841 letter from Richards to Captain Charles Wilkes, he gives his general observations on Hawaiian culture and description of economic and political conditions leading up to Declaration of Rights (1839) and Hawai‘i’s first constitution (1840.) The following are excerpts from that letter:
“As far as there was a regular government it was mainly of a feodal character and vested in the various ranks of landlords from the king down. The power of each particular lord was generally supreme or nearly so, over his own vassals, nor was that power entirely confined to personal dependants.”
“There was so much politeness, or respect, or fear, whatever it might be called, existing between the different chiefs, that any one chief might call on the dependants without much danger of giving offence.”
“Thus the people were often compelled to serve many masters, and often too out of the regular line of landlords landholders &c …. As a general thing however each chief had his particular lands, & tenants, and agents and servants, and ruled his own little kingdom according to his own laws, being himself however entirely subject to his superior, as his own agents were to him.”
“Civil rights were very little respected, nor were they scarcely known to exist. There were some general rules however a kind of common law, which when violated, the offender was often and perhaps generally punished, particularly if the crime was of an aggravated kind.”
“Kamehameha I in repeated instances punished murder by death. Grand larceny was a capitol offence if the injured person had power to execute what was considered to be law, and the chiefs and even the king not unfrequently espoused the cause of the injured party, and inflicted punishment for flagrant crimes.”
“As far as there was any real system to the government, it was deeply interwoven with their religious tabus, as well as with their feodal tenures, and a full account of the government therefore, would embrace an entire history of the tabu & also of the feudal system.”
“From the earliest periods of Hawaiian history, it appears that the tenure by which the lands have been held has in most respects been feodal, and the origin of the feuds was nearly the same as among the Goths, the Huns, the Vandals, and other northern nations of Europe.”
“A chieftain who could collect a sufficient number of followers to conquer a district or an Island, as soon as he had accomplished his object collected his victorious army about him for the purpose of dividing the spoil, or what they called ‘Cutting up the lands.’”
“The leader or king took his choice among the best of the lands, and on these lands placed some of his own particular servants, as agents to superintend the cultivation for himself.”
“The originall tenants who were on the farms at the time they were seized by the invading army usually remained under the new conquerers, at least many or most of them, and by these the land was cultivated for the king under such new agents as he saw fit to appoint.”
“After the king had taken his choice, he then divided out the whole conquered territory among the leaders of his army, giving the most valuable portions to those who had acted the most distinguished part.”
“In doing this, the king had full opportunity to show his skill & wisdom, for it was no easy task to give satisfaction in the division of the lands. Before the work was finished, difficulties often arose, and not unfrequently rebellions and new wars.”
“Every receiver of lands or feudatory was bound to his particular benefactor in the same manner as the first ranks were to the king, and thus a perfect feodal connexion was established between the king and his lowest subject through the various ranks of lords and tenants.”
“By this means, the chiefs secured and retained their authority over the people—and the rich over the poor. The authority and controll was almost perfect. It was the only system of governing with which the Hawaiians have been acquainted, and even to the present day, it is next to impossible to convince the elder chiefs that authority and subordinations can be maintained by any other means.”
“An old chief said to me, ‘If we can not take away their lands, what will they care for us? They will be as rich as we.’”
“The consequence of this system was that the common laborers did not themselves receive probably on an average more than one third of the avails of their labors, while the different orders of chiefs received the remaining two thirds.”
“The great amount however taken by the superiors was not the worst feature of this oppressive system. The remaining one third was not safe. Or rather there was no distinct dividing line by which the tenent might know and hold his own.”
“If a man by uncommon industry, brought his farm to a higher state of cultivation than his neighbor, he was not thereby sure of having more for his own use, and he could not distinctly lay his hand on any article of value and say that was his own.”
“But notwithstanding all these advantages which the superiors enjoyed over their inferiors, yet favoritism, jealousy, but more than all natural fickleness of character were so universal, that no landholder considered himself safe in his possessions, and therefore even ridiculed the idea of making extensive improvements.”
“So insecure did the people feel themselves to be in the possession of their lands, that the more reflecting class always tried to obtain and often did obtain a small division under different chiefs, so that when they were dispossessed of one, they might be saved from starvation by the produce of the other.”
“There were however customs, rules, and an acknowledged propriety of conduct in relation to taxation and dispossessions of lands. But there being no fixed law, nor courts of justice, or source of appeal, the people were in effect tenants at will, each particular class to their direct landlords.”
“And what was more, it was usually the case that when a man was dispossessed of his lands, he was usually dispossessed of most, if not all of his personal estate which had been acquired either directly or indirectly from the lands he had possessed.”
“The greatest changes took place at the death of the landlords, when the right to the feuds descended to their heirs. These heirs almost as a matter of course would have a different class of favorites from their predecessors, and therefore would dispossess the old tenants, and put their personal favorites in their places.”
“When the king deceased, great changes in every part of his dominions was the consequence. If a chief either of higher or lower rank deceased, then all the estates in his particular feoffment, and those only, were affected.”
“But among all the better classes it was considered improper to eject the direct cultivaters of the land and hence it was often the case that all the different ranks of chiefs were dispossessed, while the last dependants, the cultivaters of the soil, were continued in their possessions. Had this always been the case it would have greatly mitigated the evils of the system.”
“This feodal tenure under the present system of government has not entirely ceased to exist, but it is greatly modified. Indeed in principle it has nearly ceased, but in practice it continues to a very considerable extent.”
“The new laws define the rights of the different classes, and prescribe the rules by which each class shall be governed. Officers are also appointed to see that the rules are observed, and assess damages according (to) law where the rights of one class are invaded by the people of another class.”
“No tax whatever can be laid and no property seized, not even by the king, except by express provision of law. No landlord can disposs(ess) his tenants of their fiefs for the right of the tenants is declared perpetual.”
“The tenure therefore by which the lands are now held may be considered that of perpetual lease, subject to forfeiture for non payment of rent, the amount of which is regulated by laws in which the people have a voice and no new tax can be laid without the assent of their representatives.”
“The principle evils which no[w] remain to weaken the tenure by which lands are held, are the ignorance of the officers of the new system, and their fear of acting against the interests of chiefs and persons of rank. These evils however are fast diminishing.”
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