Thursday, January 3, 2019

Another year, it's the same

 As a person that enjoys history and nostalgia I found it interesting that 60 years ago today, Alaska was admitted to the Union. That's correct, I was five years old when that happened, strangely I don't remember it. Well I guess it didn't make much difference to me back then. It was the first day a 49 star American flag was flown. I'm wondering how many 48 star flags I could have gathered up, they would be interesting to have today. The only " historic " flag I currently posses is one brought home from the war. It isn't a flag you want to display or really let anyone know you have. I only keep it because of the connection it has to my family. Anyway, I'm certain my parents had a 48 star flag. Before Alaska, Arizona was last admitted in 1912, as was New Mexico. That 49 star flag would only fly for 548 days. On Aug, 21 1959 Hawaii was admitted to the union. The star wasn't added to the flag until the fourth of July in 1960. Again I can't honestly say I remember that either.
 I do remember that Alaska was called Sewards folly. I remember that from grade school. William Seward was Secretary of State under President Andrew Johnson. He negotiated the price for Alaska, and got it all for less than 2 cents an acre! Five hundred and eighty six thousand acres! That was in 1867, just two years after the civil war. For twenty nine years Seward was the brunt of jokes and called names. His purchase was vindicated in 1896 when Gold was discovered in the Yukon! Then, it was off to Alaska, go north the rush is on. Johnny Horton had a hit single about that in 1961, that strangely, I remember. At least I remember the song that is. You say you don't remember Andrew Johnson being the president? Well he was the vice president when Lincoln was killed at Fords' theater. Andrew Johnson, being the President at the time of the purchase was equally vilified in public opinion. He said, " I hold it the duty of the executive to insist upon frugality in expenditure, and a sparing economy is itself a great national source. " You can just imagine what the public had to say about that after he authorized, well at least agreed to, spending 7.2 million dollars for what was believed to be a frozen wasteland. Johnson summed up his philosophy with this thought, " The goal is to have a poor government but a rich people. " Of course the press jumped on that by saying Johnson and Seward were certainly making the government poor!
 As I was writing about this it occurred to me that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec, 7 1941. Hawaii wasn't a state then but we tend to think that it was. It was a territory. That happened in 1898. I wondered how that came about. Well in 1893 a group of mostly white businessmen , backed by U.S. Marines overthrew the Constitutional Monarchy and instituted their own Oligarchy. President Grover Cleveland condemned this act and addressed the Congress about it. President McKinley annexed Hawaii in violation of the Constitution and international law. That was probably because he was President during the Spanish American war. As a result of that war the United States acquired, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. Remember we entered into war with the Spanish after the Maine exploded in Havana harbor. Spain was blamed for that explosion although to this day no one knows for sure what happened. McKinley was assassinated in 1901. In 1993 the United States Congress and President Bill Clinton apologized. there is a movement underway to restore Hawaii back to its' Constitutional Monarchy.
 So, a lot has happened in my sixty five years and much I am not aware of. Interesting to find out how things happened though. I'm quite certain the story would have many different variations if I were reading it as it happened. Did you know the Japanese were probably the first migrants to Hawaii? They mostly left though, after being discouraged with their jobs and social status. Then the white guys showed up. Seems like us white guys just take over everything. Well money and power will do that. That's not a justification however, just an explanation. Now we hear talk of Puerto Rico becoming a state. I'm certain it will happen one day. And then, most likely, it will go unnoticed by future generations. I don't remember being told that the United States took Hawaii illegally. Although you could debate whether overthrowing a government, or just defeating them in an all out war is legit in the first place. But, that's the way of the world, always has been and most likely will remain that way.     

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