Alaskan and Hawaiian Statehood: Native American History Crash Course Ep 18

Unique Native American Histories

• 🎯 The histories of Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians with the U.S. are distinct and unique, differing from each other and from the other 48 states.
• 🗺️ Alaska has a disproportionately high number of federally recognized tribal nations (40%), while Hawaii has none, highlighting their different relationships with the U.S. government.

Alaskan Colonization and Statehood

• 🇷🇺 Alaskan natives first experienced colonization by Russians before the U.S. purchased Alaska in 1867.
• ✊ Despite never ceding land through treaty, Alaskan natives faced land loss, forced assimilation, discrimination, and internment camps.
• ⚖️ The Alaska State Act of 1959 recognized native land claims but also allowed the state to claim vast public lands, leading to further conflict.
• 🤝 The Alaskan Native Claim Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971 granted land and money in exchange for claims, creating corporations to benefit native communities.
• 👑 In 1993, Alaskan Native entities were officially recognized as sovereign governments, leading to a high concentration of federally recognized tribes in Alaska.

Hawaiian Colonization and Statehood

• 🌺 Native Hawaiians, or Kanaka Maoli, have a deep connection to their islands, developed unique agricultural practices, and maintained spiritual traditions.
• 📉 European settlers brought diseases that decimated the native population, and white businessmen gradually gained economic and political power.
• 👑 Queen Liliʻuokalani attempted to restore power to Native Hawaiians but was overthrown in 1893 with U.S. military backing, leading to annexation in 1898.
• 🗳️ Hawaii became a state in 1959 through a vote where a majority of voters were mainland U.S. citizens, not native Hawaiians.
• 📜 The U.S. Congress apologized in 1993 for the illegal overthrow, but this apology had no legal standing for land or sovereignty claims.

Current Native Status and Challenges

• ⚖️ Both Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians face ongoing political marginalization, discrimination, and systemic efforts to erode their cultures and languages.
• 📊 Compared to white Americans, they experience higher rates of poverty, preventable illness, and difficulties accessing healthcare and education.
• 🤔 Native Hawaiians are divided on whether to seek federal recognition, with some believing the Kingdom of Hawaii still legally exists and advocating for full independence.