Sovereignty: The Early American Experience at the Hawaii Judiciary History Center

On the evening of August 17 the Hawaii Judiciary History Center is sponsoring Sovereignty: The Early American Experience. An Evening with John Kaminski, Constitutional Scholar:

As American colonists watched the Stuart kings and Parliament of England battle for dominance in the 17^thcentury, a similar struggle was occurring amongst the royal and proprietary governors of the colonies and their popularly-elected assemblies for sovereign power. These conflicts on both sides of the Atlantic pitted different branches of government against each other, and ultimately resulted in the legislatures gaining dominance over their corresponding executive.

In the 18^th century, England abandoned the policy of benign neglect towards the colonies in favor of imperial dominance. This shift fostered a debate focused on federalism – a principle of competing sovereignties that sought to determine the rightful place of the colonies within the British Empire. It also heightened tensions between the colonists and England and resulted in the Declaration of Independence by the colonists.

In 1787 the founders proposed and soon adopted a Constitution that redefined federalism as it relates to Congress and the states.

Since the 1790s the concept of sovereignty has stirred debate throughout the country, and is central to many of the headline-making political stories in the news today. In Hawaii, an understanding of sovereignty in this historical context is useful in the debate on the issue. 

Please join us for this enlightening evening with Constitutional scholar and Director of the Center for the Study of the American Constitution at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, John Kaminski.

Light refreshments will be served.

This lecture is open to the public. It will be held 6:00 p.m. -7:15 p.m., at Aliiolani Hale, 417 South King Street, Honolulu. 

To register online go to this link. Please contact Keahe Davis at (808) 539-4999 or by email.