Hawaii's Last Queen

I know the general history from other readings. However, this was a well-put-together presentation of How to pilfer a country by the government and business interests.

I will not go through the details as that is why you are purchasing this documentary. It puts the world of time in perspective. And of course, focuses on Hawaii's Last Queen.

Writer - Vivian Ducat, born New York City, New York, USA Host - David McCullough Narrator (voice) - Anna Deavere Smith Presenters: Anna Deavere Smith, Narrator(voice) David McCullough, Self - Host H. J. Bartels, Self - Curator, 'Iolani Palace Thelma Bugbee, Self - Commentator And more.

This is an hour-long episode of the PBS show "The American Experience" and aired over a decade ago. Fortunately, many of the episodes are available on DVD. I think it's fascinating that most Americans have no idea how the Hawaiian islands were acquired. And, I must admit I was a bit hazy on this--and I am a retired history teacher! So, when I saw this on DVD, I jumped at a chance to see it in order to learn more about this.

The story of the last queen, Hawaiian monarch, Liliʻuokalani, turned out to be a sad one. In some ways it might be seen as an indictment of American imperialism (as one reviewer talked about at length) but it's also a case of her people simply being outnumbered and the rich and powerful majority forcing her out and pleading to become a part of the United States. Both aspect of the story are essentially correct--the displacement of the original owners of the land and the majority making the rules. Sad, though, that it came to this--and the story makes for, at times, rather heart-wrenching viewing. Overall, a super-informative show that didn't seem to stack the deck too far either way of the argument--and I appreciated that. An exceptional historical show.

Straightforward, well-told and sad, this documents how American business interests, and then the government slowly took Hawaii away from the Hawaiians. It's a tale too little known and discussed.

Queen Lili'uokalani comes off as quite an impressive and even heroic figure, trying to keep alive her culture and protect her people, without resorting to violence. Whether that was the right approach is debatable. At least one historian in the film argues that if the Hawaiians had put up some sort of armed resistance before the Americans were too ensconced they might have backed down. But I'm not sure I believe that's the case. Once it was clear there was wealth to be had, given the expansionist and racist tendencies of the era, the Queen may well have been right and just avoided a wholesale slaughter, or the kind of active genocide the Native Americans of the mainland had faced. I'm not sure popular American opinion would have sided with these brown-skinned 'others', even if violence had drawn more attention to the situation. Nor that the Hawaiians had anywhere near the arms or numbers of people to win such a war.

It's the tale of a monarch spending much of her life facing a series of lose-lose propositions in the name of progress and imperialism, and desperately trying to do the best she could with dignity and grace. A piece of American history too easily forgotten. Well worth seeing.