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The Hawaiian Organic Act , Pub.L. 56–339 , 31 Stat. 141 , enacted April 30, 1900, was an organic act enacted by the United States Congress to establish the Territory of Hawaii and to provide a Constitution and government for the territory. The Act was replaced by the Hawaii Admission Act on August 21, 1959, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Hawaii.
The Island of Hawaii was first inhabited by Polynesians who arrived in canoes and spread to the other Hawaiian islands. After contact by British explorer James Cook during his third voyage (1776–1780), the islands became well known and Europeans came and inhabited them. The French government was interested in the islands and wanted to establish Catholicism. The Kingdom of Hawaii became more influenced by the United States which set up trade relations with the Kingdom. After the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893, the new Republic of Hawaii government lobbied for annexation by the United States. Annexation was approved by President William McKinley and Hawaii was incorporated as part of the territory of the United States on August 12, 1898, and then, in April 1900, organized as the territory of Hawaii.
The Act stated that Honolulu, on Oahu, would be the capital of the Territory of Hawaii. [1]
The Act stated that any person who was a citizen of the Republic of Hawaii on or before August 12, 1898 would also be a citizen of the United States, and any citizen of the United States who resided in the islands on or after August 12, 1898 would have to live there to become a citizen of the Territory of Hawaii. [1]
Certain offices that the Republic of Hawaii once supported would be abolished and replaced. For example, president, minister of foreign affairs, minister of the interior, minister of finance, minister of public instruction, auditor-general, deputy auditor-general, surveyor-general, marshal, and deputy marshal of the Republic of Hawaii. [1]
All laws in effect in the Republic of Hawaii would continue. Suits would be under the name of the Territory of Hawaii. Finally, the act stated that any contracts made after August 12, 1898 would be nullified and terminated since they would no longer be legally binding according to the United States Congress. [1]
Section 67 of the Act came under U.S. Supreme Court reference during World War II with regard to what martial law actually allowed, and more specifically, whether civilians could be tried by military courts. [2] Section 67 derived from Article 31 of the Constitution of the Republic of Hawaii (1895), was suited for disloyal subjects at odds with the annexation; demonstrating how quickly political situations can change. [3]
Elections would be held on the second Tuesday of November, but the governor could make a special request 30 days in advance for an earlier election. [1]
An office holder who takes bribes and subdues to any type of corruption will have voting rights repealed and will no longer be allowed to run for any governmental office, unless they are pardoned and civil rights are restored. [1]
If a person from either the Hawaii House of Representatives or Hawaii Senate is assaulted, detained or harmed, the offenders will be fined or detained for a maximum of 30 days. This also applies if the person violates or threatens any member of any house. [1]
Members of either house will be paid $1000 for each general session to which they attend. [Congress] is responsible for such payments from the United States Treasury. A bonus will be paid to any member who travels any distance for their general session of 20 cents per mile. A final bonus of $500 will be paid to any member who wishes to participate in any special session. [1]
Any member of the Senate or House of Representatives found guilty disorderly behavior or neglect of duty can be censured or impeached. Any member can be pardoned for any words that he may have said during a general session. Any member can also be pardoned of any crime while he is away on their respective house sessions, unless the crime includes any form of treason, felony, or breach of peace. [1]
The Senate had 25 members, having a four-year term. When a member of the Senate dies or resigns, a special election or a general election will appoint a new member to replace him.
The United States Senate created six senatorial districts:
A senator of the Hawaiian Islands must be a citizen of the United States, must be at least 30 years old, and must have lived in Hawaii for at least three years. [1] The original text, written in 1900, requires that a senator must "be a male citizen of the United States;" this gender requirement stood until 1922. [4]
The house of representatives will hold 51 members who shall be elected from their representative district, the member will then be active until the following general election. In case a vacancy opens then a special election will be held to fill in that vacancy. [5]
The government of the United States has chosen to establish 18 representative districts which are as follows:
Candidates to the House of Representatives must be 25 years of age, a citizen of the United States, and lived in Hawaii for at least three years. [5] The original text, written in 1900, requires that a senator must "be a male citizen of the United States;" this gender requirement stood until 1922. [4]
The Foraker Act, Pub.L. 56–191, 31 Stat. 77, enacted April 12, 1900, officially known as the Organic Act of 1900, is a United States federal law that established civilian government on the island of Puerto Rico, which had recently become a possession of the United States as a result of the Spanish–American War. Section VII of the Foraker Act also established Puerto Rican citizenship. President William McKinley signed the act on April 12, 1900 and it became known as the Foraker Act after its sponsor, Ohio Senator Joseph B. Foraker. Its main author has been identified as Secretary of War Elihu Root.
The Hawaii State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state legislature is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Hawaii State House of Representatives, with 51 representatives, and an upper house, the 25-member Hawaii State Senate. There are a total of 76 lawmakers in the legislature, each representing single member districts across the islands. The powers of the legislature are granted under Article III of the Constitution of Hawaii. The legislature convenes at the Hawaii State Capitol building in the state capital of Honolulu, on the island of Oahu.
In the law of the United States, an insular area is a U.S.-associated jurisdiction that is not part of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. This includes fourteen U.S. territories administered under U.S. sovereignty, as well as three sovereign states each with a Compact of Free Association with the United States. The term also may be used to refer to the previous status of the Philippine Islands and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands when it existed.
Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole was a prince of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi until it was overthrown by a coalition of American and European businessmen in 1893. He later went on to become a representative in the Territory of Hawaii as delegate to the United States Congress, and as such is the only member of Congress ever born into royalty.
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding Palmyra Island, was admitted to the United States as the 50th U.S. state, the State of Hawaii. The Hawaii Admission Act specified that the State of Hawaii would not include Palmyra Island, the Midway Islands, Kingman Reef, and Johnston Atoll, which includes Johnston Island and Sand Island.
The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. state of Hawaii:
The Hawaiian Independent Party, was a political party active in Hawaii from 1900 to 1912. It was established by Robert Wilcox immediately after the United States annexed the Hawaiian Islands and established the Territory of Hawaii. The party was formed due to worries from Native Hawaiians that both the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i Republican Party were incapable of representing them.
Lincoln "Link" Loy McCandless was a United States cattle rancher, industrialist and politician for the Territory of Hawaii. McCandless served in the United States Congress as a territorial delegate. A former member of the Hawaii Republican Party, McCandless was one of the earliest leaders of the Hawaii Democratic Party.
Nuʻuanu Pali is a section of the windward cliff of the Koʻolau mountain located at the head of Nuʻuanu Valley on the island of Oʻahu. It has a panoramic view of the windward (northeast) coast of Oʻahu. The Pali Highway connecting Kailua/Kāneʻohe with downtown Honolulu runs through the Nuʻuanu Pali Tunnels bored into the cliffside.
Kamakaʻīmoku was a chiefess in ancient Hawaii in the early 18th century. She married three powerful men of the time, was mother of the King who would unite the island of Hawaiʻi and meet the first known visitors from Europe, and grandmother of the founder of the Kingdom that united all of the Hawaiian Islands.
The transportation system of Hawaii is a cooperation of complex systems of infrastructure.
Hawaii is one of the few U.S. states where coffee production is a significant economic industry – coffee is the second largest crop produced there. The 2019–2020 coffee harvest in Hawaii was valued at $102.9 million. As of the 2019-2020 harvest, coffee production in Hawaii accounted for 6,900 acres of land
The Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention (HPBC) is a group of churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention located in the U.S. state of Hawaii and other pacific regions. Headquartered in Honolulu, it is made up of 138 churches on 11 islands in 6 Baptist associations.
The Hawaii Territorial Legislature was established on April 30, 1900, by the Hawaiian Organic Act which established the Territory of Hawaii as part of the United States. It was the legislative body of the Territory until Hawaii became a state in 1959.
Gilbert Kahele was an American politician and a Democratic member of the Hawaii Senate from January 16, 2011, representing District 1. He was appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie to fill the vacancy caused by the appointment of Russell S. Kokubun as Hawaii Commissioner of Agriculture. Kahele died in office on January 26, 2016, after being hospitalized one week prior.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Hawaii occurred on November 8, 2016. The electorate chose two candidates to act in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's two districts. Hawaii is one of 14 states that employ an open primary system, meaning voters do not have to state a party affiliation in the election. The primaries were held on August 13.
William Pūnohuʻāweoweoʻulaokalani White was a Hawaiian lawyer, sheriff, politician, and newspaper editor. He became a political statesman and orator during the final years of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the beginnings of the Territory of Hawaii. Despite being a leading Native Hawaiian politician in this era, his legacy has been largely forgotten or portrayed in a negative light, mainly because of a reliance on English-language sources to write Hawaiian history. He was known by the nickname of "Pila Aila" or "Bila Aila" for his oratory skills.
Kaialiʻi Kahele is an American politician, educator, and commercial pilot serving as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district. From 2016 to 2020, he served in the Hawaii Senate from the 1st district. Kahele is a member of the Democratic Party and the son of the late Hawaii Senate member Gil Kahele.
Mary Haʻaheo Atcherley was a Hawaiian activist. She was one of the first native Hawaiian women to run for public office in the Territory of Hawaii.
Joseph Francis McLaughlin was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii in the Territory of Hawaii.