Lā Kūʻokoʻa

Lā Kūʻokoʻa, Independence Day, was first celebrated on November 28, 1843. The Hawaiian national holiday commemorated the signing of an Anglo-Franco Proclamation that recognized the independence of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi by Great Britain and France. Kamehameha III proclaimed the day after Aliʻi Timoteo Haʻalilio succeeded in his diplomacy. Lā Kūʻokoʻa followed Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea, sovereignty restoration day, which was first marked on July 31, 1843.

Postcard of a painting of the Hawaiian flag draped with maile and feather lei, undated. The postcard reads: “Hawaiian Flag and Leis. Published by the Island Curio Store, Honolulu.”

Portrait of Kamehameha III (1814—1854) or Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau lokikilo Kiwalao I Ke Kapu Kamehameha, with a coat, patterned vest, and bow tie. The King is also wearing what may be a magnifying glass and watch chain with the watch in his pocket.

Kauikeaouli, the longest-serving monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, ruled from 1825 until 1854. He helped Hawaiʻi transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy with the first written Constitution in 1840.

Queen Kalama (1817—1870), wife of Kamehameha III, wearing a dark dress with sash and medal, watch and fob, and necklace. Her full name was Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili.

Timoteo Kamalehua Haʻalilio (1808—1844) served as a royal secretary, member of the Privy Council, and first diplomat for the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. In 1842, he and missionary and politician William Richards traveled abroad. Their efforts meant that Britain, France, and the United States all acknowledged Hawaiʻi as a sovereign nation. In the United States they met with Daniel Webster, Secretary of State for President John Tyler. The article is from the New York Tribune, January 17, 1843.