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HawaiiTreaty

Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation (US-Kingdom of Hawai'i), 1849

The 1849 U.S.-Hawaiian Kingdom treaty set perpetual peace, reciprocal trade and port access for U.S. whalers between two states.

Signed
December 20, 1849
Senate
Ratified

What happened

This is a treaty between the United States and the King of the Hawaiian Islands, not with a Native nation inside the United States. It was signed at Washington on December 20, 1849, by Secretary of State John M. Clayton and James Jackson Jarves, accredited as the King's special commissioner. The preamble speaks of the "relations of good understanding which have hitherto so happily subsisted between their respective states."

Article 1 provides for "perpetual peace and amity between the United States and the King of the Hawaiian Islands, his heirs and his successors." Article 2 sets "reciprocal liberty of commerce and navigation," with no higher customs duties on one country's goods than on any other country's, and a most-favored-nation clause. Article 7 gave U.S. whale ships access to the ports of Hilo, Kealakekua and Hanalei, as well as Honolulu and Lahaina. Article 8 gave each country's citizens the right to travel and reside in the other.

The Statutes at Large page records that ratifications were exchanged at Honolulu on August 24, 1850, and that the treaty was proclaimed on November 9, 1850. Article 16 set a term of ten years, continuing until twelve months after either side gave notice to end it.

Good to know. This is a treaty between two independent states, included for context; it is not a treaty with a Native nation inside the United States.

Summarized with AI assistance from 4 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error

What the sources say, and how this was checked

Well supported by the sources below.

  1. There shall be perpetual peace and amity between the United StatesStatutes at Large, vol. 9, p. 977: Treaty with the Hawaiian Islands
  2. There shall be reciprocal liberty of commerce and navigationStatutes at Large, vol. 9, p. 977: Treaty with the Hawaiian Islands
  3. Ratifications exchanged at Honolulu Aug. 24, 1850. Proclamation made Nov. 9, 1850.Statutes at Large, vol. 9, p. 977: Treaty with the Hawaiian Islands
  4. for the term of ten years, and further, until the end of twelve months after either of the contracting parties shall have given noticeStatutes at Large, vol. 9, p. 977: Treaty with the Hawaiian Islands

Research notes. The treaty is not a treaty with a Native nation inside the United States; it appears in the atlas as context. Later events, including the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the 1898 annexation, are not covered here.

What happened next

Everything the record holds about this land and this treaty, in order: what earlier agreements said, what this one did, and what the United States, the courts and the nations did afterwards.

  1. 1849

    This treaty

    Signed

    The 1849 U.S.-Hawaiian Kingdom treaty set perpetual peace, reciprocal trade and port access for U.S. whalers between two states.

  2. 1893

    Related history

    Hawaii (context): overthrow of the Kingdom (1893), annexation (1898) and the 1993 Apology

    In Hawaii, after the 1893 overthrow, Congress annexed the islands by joint resolution in 1898 when a treaty lacked Senate votes.

Who is doing the work today

The nations connected to this treaty come first, then groups returning land and defending treaty rights. Support goes directly to them.

Native legal and land defense, nationally

Gifts go straight to each organization; this atlas takes nothing. Listing is not endorsement: how organizations are listed.

Sources

  1. dheller.org/Timeline-files/US-Statutes/v9/Treaties-v9-List.pdfunclassified
Research notes

Stat. vol. 9 index note: the list excludes the Hawaiian Islands treaty of Dec 20, 1849, p. 977, as a treaty with a nation rather than a tribe. Only the citation is confirmed.

Shapes are approximate and are not legal descriptions of land, title or jurisdiction.