Videos by Ronald Williams Jr.
An Online Public Research Presentation Hosted by the Maui Historical Society/Bailey House / Hale ... more An Online Public Research Presentation Hosted by the Maui Historical Society/Bailey House / Hale Hōʻikeʻike 53 views
Academic Articles by Ronald Williams Jr.
The initial arrests came on the evening of 6 January 1895. A firefight between loyalists of the H... more The initial arrests came on the evening of 6 January 1895. A firefight between loyalists of the Hawaiian Kingdom and Repub forces had broken out at the Bertlemann home near the foot of Lē'ahi. Fifteen Kanaka 'Ōiwi were apprehended. Martial law the morning and over the following days 143 men-139 of them Kanaka 'Ōiwi-were captured and taken into custody as "P Over the next few weeks, in an attempt to break the will of a population that had sworn undying resistance to the minority had seized power, Republic of Hawai'i police and military arrested over 260 more men and seven women. These newest pri brought to "the Reef"-O'ahu's stone prison built in 1857 among the marshlands of what is today Iwilei-and labeled "pio k (political prisoners). The eldest of the incarcerated was seventy-seven. The youngest was thirteen. Everything has a mo'okū'auhau. Understandings of our present are constructed atop a framework built in the past. Followin
Hōʻeuʻeu Hou: Sons of the Mission and the Shaping of a New "Mission," 1863-1888, Hawai‘i
In this 6th presentation of a 12-part series titled "Hawaiian Kingdom History: The Kingdom, the C... more In this 6th presentation of a 12-part series titled "Hawaiian Kingdom History: The Kingdom, the Church, the Land", Dr. Ron Williams Jr. shares about the sons of the missionaries that came to Hawai‘i and the shaping of a new "mission" (1863-1888).
Journal of San Diego History, 2024
The historical narrative regarding the reign of Mōʻī David Kalākaua is undergoing significant rev... more The historical narrative regarding the reign of Mōʻī David Kalākaua is undergoing significant revision as an ongoing revolution in Hawaiian historiography brings attention and focus to Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) action and agency through the inclusion of both native-language resources and perspective. These more inclusive historical analyses are bringing to the fore Kalākaua's purposeful actions that increased global awareness of the Hawaiian Kingdom and expanded its international relationships, thereby strengthening recognition of his nation's sovereignty as an independent state in the face of growing threats to that status.
Hawaiian Journal of History, 2023
A complete list, transcribed from the original membership book within the Lorrin Andrews Thurston... more A complete list, transcribed from the original membership book within the Lorrin Andrews Thurston Manuscript Collection held at the Hawaiʻi State Archives. Brief context, the groupʻs oath of allegiance, and accession record are included.
Hawaiian Journal of Law and Politics Volume 5, 2023
This article provides a history and analysis of the California Colony at Wahiawā—1898-1910—as the... more This article provides a history and analysis of the California Colony at Wahiawā—1898-1910—as the first attempt of the minority oligarchy in Hawaiʻi to alter the racial makeup of the Islands by enticing the immigration of White farmers from California
Hawaiian Journal of History Volume 55, 2021
This paper reveals the deep illegitimacy of the ruling government in Hawaiʻi 1894-1898 by focusin... more This paper reveals the deep illegitimacy of the ruling government in Hawaiʻi 1894-1898 by focusing on voting rights and laws created in a 1894 Constitutional Convention and the use of these laws by the ruling oligarchy to hold tightly to minority rule while attempting to appear democratic. Primary-source research within a prolific archive is used to reveal both specific and broad contradictions between the narrative put forward by the oligarchy and what de-facto existed
Hawaiian Journal of History Volume 49, 2015
The formation of a territorial legislature in Hawai‘i marked a critical transition from the prece... more The formation of a territorial legislature in Hawai‘i marked a critical transition from the preceding seven years of oligarchic rule—1893-1900. Political union with the United States threatened the currently nascent hegemony of the ascendant minority white community in the Islands. In response, white leaders sought to craft a race-centric narrative that posited native incompetence as an answer to why democracy should not prevail in an American territory. An examination and analysis of the 1901Territorial Legislature in Hawai‘i, through both native and English-language sources, provides a revealing look at the employment of race as a political tool used to denigrate native leadership and argue against democracy during this crucial struggle for political control of America’s newest territory.
Hawaiian Journal of History vol. 46 (2012)
This essay examines the determined revivalist efforts by officers of the ʻAhahui ʻEuanelio o Hawa... more This essay examines the determined revivalist efforts by officers of the ʻAhahui ʻEuanelio o Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Evangelical Association) at the close of the 19th century to blunt a severe and ongoing loss of Native membership within the Protestant churches of the former American Mission. Specifically, it highlights the administrative board’s drafting of a young Native Hawaiian named John Henry Wise to lead this evangelical operation, his training in the United States, and the dramatic outcome that followed his return, in 1893, to native soil. It contests previous representations of submissive, “missionized,” Native Hawaiian Christians by highlighting Native action and agency while also positing the Wise example as representative of a broader struggle that was enveloping the Native churches of the AEH.
Hūlili: Multidisciplinary Research on Hawaiian vol. 7 (2011)
The creation of a hegemonic, master narrative for Hawaiʻi—sourced almost solely from English-lang... more The creation of a hegemonic, master narrative for Hawaiʻi—sourced almost solely from English-language materials—has long offered a highly exclusive characterization of past events and figures in Hawaiian history. Elements within this dominant narrative not only shape understandings of specific individuals and actions but also work together to construct a general understanding of a people and their nation. This article advances analysis of a political biography, set in a crucial period of Hawaiian history, to highlight a historical process that continues to inform paradigmatic yet problematic histories. It calls for a decided and comprehensive move to a more inclusive historical process that offers a more complex, rich picture of Hawaiʻi's past.
Hawaiian Journal of History vol. 43 (2010)
A small hui of writers was contracted by Hui o Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition [ʻĪlioulaokalani Foundati... more A small hui of writers was contracted by Hui o Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition [ʻĪlioulaokalani Foundation, Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and others.] to contest the manipulation and distortion of history that was being put forth in public histories by well funded private groups here in Hawaiʻi. Brief, "public history" essays were written on several topics.
A small hui of writers was contracted by Hui o Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition [ʻĪlioulaokalani Foundati... more A small hui of writers was contracted by Hui o Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī Coalition [ʻĪlioulaokalani Foundation, Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and others.] to contest the manipulation and distortion of history that was being put forth in public histories by well funded private groups here in Hawaiʻi. Brief, primary source "public history" essays were written on several topics.
Invited Academic Esssays / Book Chapters by Ronald Williams Jr.
Historical Investigations in West Maui , 2024
A moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy) of educational administration in the Hawaiian Kingdom [1840-1893] with... more A moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy) of educational administration in the Hawaiian Kingdom [1840-1893] with a focus on issues of Native agency, race, gender, and struggle in West Maui. A book chapter from the text "Historical Investigations in West Maui" University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2024
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion, 2017
An invited essay included in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion
Civil Society in West Maui, 2021
An invited book chapter on the history of Kamehameha Day with a focus on celebrations in West Mau... more An invited book chapter on the history of Kamehameha Day with a focus on celebrations in West Maui as part of the text Civil Society in West Maui.
Hoʻoulu Hawaiʻi: The Kalākaua Era, 2018
This invited essay was one of eight that comprise the exhibition catalogue for Hoʻoulu Hawaiʻi: T... more This invited essay was one of eight that comprise the exhibition catalogue for Hoʻoulu Hawaiʻi: The Kalākaua Era, a show curated by Healoha Johnston for the Honolulu Museum of Art. The book was awarded the 2018 Samuel Mānaiakalani Kamakau Book of the Year Award by the Hawaiʻi Book Publishers' Association
Academic, peer-reviewed, short essays by Ronald Williams Jr.
A Legislative History of the Creation of Kūhiō Day as a Public Holiday
Hawaiian Journal of History, 2021
As part of a larger book project focused on the arrest, imprisonment, and legacy of those seized ... more As part of a larger book project focused on the arrest, imprisonment, and legacy of those seized during and following the 1895 Kaua Kuloko (civil war) in Hawai'i, I have compiled the list offered below.
Hawaiian Journal of History, 2019
A listing of the Hawaiian Kingdom diplomatic stations abroad 1843-1893 with a brief contextual su... more A listing of the Hawaiian Kingdom diplomatic stations abroad 1843-1893 with a brief contextual summary
Hawaiian Journal of History , 2017
A "Notes and Queries" piece highlighting the living archive and a particularly exciting new donat... more A "Notes and Queries" piece highlighting the living archive and a particularly exciting new donation of Hawaiian historical documents.
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Videos by Ronald Williams Jr.
Academic Articles by Ronald Williams Jr.
Invited Academic Esssays / Book Chapters by Ronald Williams Jr.
Academic, peer-reviewed, short essays by Ronald Williams Jr.