Rights of My People

Even on the 50th anniversary of Hawaii statehood, sovereignty in Hawaii is still the subject of an active, ongoing legal dispute. The Rights of My People revisits Liliuokalani's decades-long campaign for the dignity and sovereignty of Hawaii. The book gives the first detailed and documented description of the seizure of a quarter of the Hawaii islands in 1893. This illegal move was contested aggressively by Liliuokalani, and she challenged the United States before Congress repeatedly for complicity in taking the Crown lands. Woven into the story are threats of execution and assassination and the forces of bigotry, condescension, and deception Liliuokalani confronted.