These were institutions founded, staffed, and, initially, financially supported by American missionaries. Their goal was to make to Native Hawaiians literate in their own language in order to read the Bible. Later, local aliʻi (chiefs) took over responsibilities for building and supporting the schools who were increasingly being taught by Native teachers.

A major step for creating national unity as the government took over the operations,
curriculum, and staffing of the nation’s schools. It also reflected the vision of a young
Kauikeaouli (King Kamehameha III, 1824-1854) early in his reign when he exclaimed:
“He aupuni palapala koʻu. O ke kanaka pono ʻoia koʻu kanaka.” (Mine is the nation of
education; the righteous person is my person (Pukui, 1983)

At 2 a.m. on July 6th, 1887, armed gunmen belonging to two all-White separatist groups, the Hawaiian League and Honolulu Riflemen, surrounded Mōʻī (king) David Kalākaua at gunpoint and demanded that he sign a new constitution written by Lorrin Andrews Thurston, a member of the League. This new document, never ratified by the legislature, installed members of their group into his cabinet, empowered the cabinet with decision-making authority over the mōʻī, disenfranchised three-fourths of Native Hawaiians and all Hawaiian citizens of Asian ancestry, and allowed foreign landowners the right to vote. advocates the overthrow of the monarchy and annexation by the U.S. Several members from both groups would go on to support the 1893 overthrow of Kalākaua’s sister, Liliʻuokalani, and lobby Congress for American annexation in 1898.

This act was passed during the time of the White minority government (the Republic of Hawaii) and it established English as the only medium of instruction allowable in any school, public or private. This move by the White minority government was to garner support for U.S. annexation by demonstrating how English remained the language of the land. This year also marked the closure of the last three Hawaiian-language public schools on Oʻahu leaving only one left on Niʻihau.

• Passed by Congress verifying Hawaiʻi’s status as a U.S. territory and outlining the territorial government’s, responsibilities, offices, and institutions.

• Reconstructing the Department of Public Instruction, teaching both Hawaiian and English equally, ensuring all teachers understand the Hawaiian language

• Teaching Hawaiian and English in public and private schools
• This represents the first attempt by Native Hawaiian legislators to return ʻōlelo Hawaii (the Hawaiian language) to school classrooms.

• School reform bill aimed at decentralizing school governance by creating county superintendents and school councils empowered with complete jurisdiction over their local schools.
• With most Native Hawaiians living in rural districts, this would have allowed them to determine their own curriculum and medium of instruction.

Hawaiian to be taught upon parental request

Learn from Native Student Experiences:

Public support for language revitalization in the public schools can be seen in both HH40’s and N197’s life histories.She expressed a strong desire to learn ʻōlelo Hawaii and believed the public schools were critical spaces in reviving the language.

“I fervently wish that the Hawaiian language would be taught in every school of the territory,…for the Hawaiians it is of vital importance.”(4)

The same sentiment can be seen with N197’s disappointment in her inability to speak ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and attend a “real” Hawaiian school.

“I regret to say that I have not had the opportunity to attend a real Hawaiian school and I sincerely feel that it is important that I should know how to speak my own language fluently.”

Special teachers for providing a “more intimate and correct knowledge of the Hawaiian race”

Law that provided federal funds in support of vocational education in agriculture and industrial trades. DPI used the funds to hire mainland teachers and expand vocational programs.

Learn from Native Student Experiences:

HH40 expressed general disinterest in vocational education despite its popularity among territorial school officials and sugar planters who wanted Hawaiʻi’s students to embrace employment on the various agricultural plantations.

“I think that agricultural education should not be particularly stressed upon for we all cannot be working on the plantations.” (3)

Hawaiian language classes for Hawaiian youth

Hawaiian language classes upon parental request

Afterschool Hawaiian language classes

Hawaiian language lessons everyday for Hawaiian youth

• Federal investigation into Hawaiʻi’s schools requested by the DPI.
• Provides a comprehensive overview of school conditions, teacher and student demographics, and recommendations.

The Hawaiian language shall be taught in addition to English (later amended to include “as an elective”)

Requesting appropriations to support the teaching of the Hawaiian language in the territory’s high and normal schools

• Report to the legislature the cost and proper method for Hawaiian language courses at the University of Hawaiʻi

• Report to the legislature the cost and proper method for Hawaiian language courses in the elementary, high, and normal schools

• Daily use of the Hawaiian language as a medium of instruction

• The Hawaiian language made part of the curriculum in all public schools

• Authorizing the teaching of the Hawaiian language in the University of Hawaiʻi and all public high and junior high schools

• Hawaiian language teachers to be employed at public schools on Molokaʻi

• Hawaiian shall be taught in addition to English in all normal and high schools and by parental request in any junior high school

• Request of $15,000 to record, preserve, and publish Hawaiian mele and prayers

• Requesting $12,000 for teaching Hawaiian language, customs, traditions, culture, and agricultural practices in majority Native Hawaiian schools

• Teaching in the Hawaiian language for AT LEAST 10 minutes everyday in every public school on Hawaiian homestead land

• To include classes for instruction in the Hawaiian language in all high schools in the territory

• Financial assistance to support Native Hawaiians pursuing higher education

• Hawaiian language classes as part of the regular curriculum

• Appropriating funds for scholarships for high school graduates from Keaukaha pursuing a degree in nursing

• Providing instruction and employing teachers able to provide instruction in foreign and Hawaiian languages the public schools

Documents related to Statehood

• Over the eviction of farmers for the commercial development of the area by American construction mogul, Henry J. Kaiser
• Sparked thousands of young Native Hawaiians to politically organize against further resort, military, and residential construction and protect agricultural lands

• to stop the bombardment training of Kahoʻolawe

Protests over geothermal energy development in the volcanic northeastern region of Puna on Hawaiʻi Island