APRIL 30, 1900

HAWAIIAN ORGANIC ACT—U.S. ASSERTS GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY OVER THE ISLAND

Hawai’i was acquired by the United States through a congressional act on July 7, 1898. The Organic Act (Act), passed in 1900, provided for governmental authority over the islands that aligned with U.S. laws and extended the U.S. Constitution to the islands. The Act also granted Hawaiian territorial citizenship to all U.S. citizens who resided in the Territory for more than a year and U.S. citizenship for all citizens of the Republic of Hawai’i who were in residence at the time of the Act. The Act extended the Chinese Exclusion Act to the Territory requiring that all Chinese immigrants obtain certificates of residence within a year, and forbade migration of Chinese immigrants, whether they obtained certificates of residence or not, to any other state, territory, or district in the United States. The Act also provided the legal grounds for declaring martial law in Hawaii and was used to suspend habeas corpus immediately following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Source: “Organic Act,” Densho Encyclopedia.  Retrieved 1/4/2023, Organic Act | Densho Encyclopedia.

Photo:  Author unknown, 6/14/1900. Admission Day Ceremony of the Territory of Hawaii held on June 14, 1900 when the Hawaiian Organic Act formally came into effect. Public Domain.  Source:  Bernice P. Bishop Museum