In the Kingdom of Hawai`i November 28 was an official holiday called Ka La Ku`oko`a, or Independence Day. This was the day in 1843 when England and France formally recognized Hawai`i's independence.
His Hawaiian Majesty King Kamehameha III deemed it prudent and necessary to dispatch a Hawaiian delegation to the United States and then to Europe with the power to negotiate treaties and to ultimately secure the recognition of Hawaiian Independence by the major powers of the world.
The Hawaiian delegation, while in the United States of America, secured the assurance of U.S. President Tyler on December 19, 1842 of its recognition of Hawaiian independence, and then proceeded to meet Sir George Simpson in Europe and secure formal recognition by Great Britain and France.
As a result of this recognition, the Hawaiian Kingdom entered into treaties with the major nations of the world and had established over ninety legations and consulates in multiple seaports and cities.
November 28 was thereafter established as an official national holiday to celebrate the recognition of Hawai`i's independence.
But in 1893, an illegal intervention into Hawai`i's affairs by the U.S. resulted in a "fake revolution" against the legitimate Hawaiian government, and a puppet oligarchy set itself up with its main purpose being Hawai`i's annexation to the United States.
Hawaiians protested and celebrated Ka La Ku`oko`a anyway, telling the story of the national heroes who had traveled to Europe to secure Hawai`i's recognition.
We celebrate Ka La Ku`oko`a - Hawaiian Independence Day to remember that Hawai`i was a fully recognized member of the world family of nations, and its independence is still intact under prolonged illegal occupation.