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History In A
Square Inch
by Veronica S.
Schweitzer
6-cent 1893 Hawaii stamp Valued at $12,500 |
Stamps and postal marks , those thin squares of paper
worth less than a dollar at the time of purchase, often
mirror the history of a country. As for Hawaii, its
five-stage transition from monarchy to 50th state of
the United States created a postal reflection filled
with bizarre and one-of-a-kind events.....
Collectors love this. Anthony Anjo, for example, a
collector in North Kohala, got hooked to stamp collecting
when he came across a stamped 1897 family envelope sent
from Mahukona, one of 130 post offices erased from the
map. A stamp can hold magic. Its design is often beautiful.
The first Hawaiian stamps came out in 1851. It was
King Kamehameha III's response to the missionaries needing
a reliable postal service for letters to their friends
and family east. The first post office was part of the
government's newspaper, the Polynesian. In 1855 no less
than 24,984 pieces of mail left the islands and 23,940
answers returned!
These first stamps, with a floral border and a number,
were aptly called "the Missionaries". Valued
at $150,000 to $250,000 the rare two-cent blue stamp
now belongs to a few lucky collectors. It is the only
stamp in history for which a collector was killed and
the only stamp once accepted by two sovereign nations,
Hawaii and the US.
Around the same time, a stamp was printed with the
image of King Kamehameha III. But a few years later,
the government issued a series of plain numerals, seemingly
forgetting how much a picture can explain to the world.
Where was the image of the Great King Kamehameha I?
What about Kamehameha II?
Above letter was stamped
in 1852 with the 13-cent blue, "Hawaiian Postage".
This letter cover today is valued at an astonishing
$50,000-$75,000 |
In 1864 a new series came out presenting the Hawaiian
royalty. But neither Queen Kaahumanu or Princess Kinau
was represented. On stamp, also, appeared King David
Kalakaua, Hawaii's merry ruler, who had started himself
out as a postmaster and became king due to a lack of
royal heirs. Probably the only king in the world with
such a career, Kalakaua made sure to be on millions
of colorful stamps while still alive. Kamehameha I finally
appeared in print in 1883.
In 1893, the Hawaiian people, unhappy with Queen Liliuokalani's
rule, abandoned the monarchy. Hawaii declared itself
a republic. The stamps reflected the change only through
an overprint.
The 1882 5-cent Kamehameha
V stamp. This set of four is valued today at $7,500-$10,000.
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The following year Hawaii officially became a republic
and seven new stamps came out. Among them one of Star
and Palms, expressing already the idea of annexation
which occurred in 1898.
At the turn of the century, Hawaii was declared US
territory. From now on, stamps were US postage with
or without a Hawaii theme. In 1959 Hawaii became the
50th State.
Over the 20th century many stamps continued to reveal
Hawaii's unique position: Here appeared the only American
palace, Iolani in Honolulu, Hawaii's native flowers
such as the lehua ohia, and endangered native birds
such as the nene and the i'iwi. Stamps also highlighted
influences in Hawaii such as the Chinese New Year.
But all such history disappears when paper crumbles
and town marks fade. History soon to be forgotten except
for the print on a one square inch.
*David P. Ingham writes:
This is language from United States Public law 103-150
passes by both houses of the U.S. congress and signed
by the President 23 November, 1993. This language accurately
represents the history of the overthrow of the Hawaiian
government as opposed to the language in the article
on your web site.
"On January 14, 1893, John L Stevens...the United
States Minister assigned to the soverign and independent
Kingdom of Hawaii conspired with a small group of non-Hawaiian
residents of the Kingdom of Hawaii, including citizens
of the United States, to overthrow the indeginous and
lawful government of Hawaii."
As you can see there is quite a difference between
what happened and what is written on your site. I am
attaching the full text of U.S. Public law 103-150 and
a contemporary letter from President Grover Cleveland
that explains exactly what happened in greater detail.
I hope you enjoy history as much as I do especially
Hawaiian History...there has been alot of mis-informaton
put out in years past...even in the public schools...I
am having to re-learn all the stuff that i was tought
on the subject...
"Readers
may submit editorial comments to any of our stories
by sending an email to les@lbdcoffee.com.
We would be happy to attach your comments and feedback
to anything we publish online. Thank you for your interest."
Readers
Respond:
David
P. Ingham writes:
This
is language from United States Public law 103-150 passes
by both houses of the U.S. congress and signed by the
President 23 November, 1993. This language accurately
represents the history of the overthrow of the Hawaiian
government as opposed to the language in the article
on your web site.
"On
January 14, 1893, John L Stevens...the United States
Minister assigned to the soverign and independent Kingdom
of Hawaii conspired with a small group of non-Hawaiian
residents of the Kingdom of Hawaii, including citizens
of the United States, to overthrow the indeginous and
lawful government of Hawaii."
As
you can see there is quite a difference between what
happened and what is written on your site. I am attaching
the full text of U.S. Public law 103-150 and a contemporary
letter from President Grover Cleveland that explains
exactly what happened in greater detail.
I
hope you enjoy history as much as I do especially Hawaiian
History...there has been alot of mis-informaton put
out in years past...even in the public schools...I am
having to re-learn all the stuff that i was tought on
the subject...
Story
appeared originally in Coffee Times print magazine and
appears online for archival purposes only. Any use or
reprinting of these stories without the expressed written
consent of the author is prohibited.
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