Videos of Hawaii’s Plantation Era
Welcome to our collection of videos of Hawaii’s plantation era. The story begins with Alice Kamokila Campbell, a turn-of-the-century voice for the Hawaiians, came to regard the importation of Asian plantation labor to be the single greatest catastrophe that ever befell the kingdom. For better or for worse, she correctly anticipated that Asians would soon come to dominate the political landscape in Hawaii in a way that would marginalize the Hawaiians to a far greater extent than had been the case with the haole. She may have sensed the political determination that comes with being a resented minority, as Asian immigrants were for several generations, until John Burns came along and built a Democratic machine on the strength of the polyglot “little guy”… a machine that would endure for 70 years. It’s not so much race that defines politics in Hawaii; the political Great Divide has formed along the lines of local versus non-local—a movement which, oddly, the Hawaiian sovereignty movement finds little common cause with. As a result, the Hawaiian finds himself as much of a political outsider these days as the haole.
He lani iluna, he honua ilalo, onioni ia kulana a paa. – Heaven above, earth below, and his own position firmly fixed. (A way of applauding a thrifty man.)
“Plantation Days” (5:31)
“The History of Sugar, Part 2” (18:47)
“Japanese Immigration to Hawaii” (25:05)
“Life on the Rail in Hawaii” (45:31)
Have a look at our videos of Hawaiian Culture as well!
P.S. If you have a taste for history, we invite you to our companion site WisdomMaps.info. It’s history as you’ve never seen it!
