Speeches of His Majesty Kamehameha IV. To the Hawaiian Legislature

Kamehameha IV, King of the Hawaiian Islands, 1834-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2

Word count: 114K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Speeches of His Majesty Kamehameha IV. To the Hawaiian Legislature by Kamehameha IVAuthor: Kamehameha IV, King of the Hawaiian Islands, 1834-1863,Language: English, Class: DU: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: History of Oceania (South Seas), Release Date: Aug 31, 2008

Editor's review

This is a collection of speeches delivered by King Kamehameha IV of Hawaii to the Hawaiian legislature, a primary source of mid-nineteenth-century Hawaiian political documents. The book gathers the monarch's formal addresses to legislators, dealing with governance, legislation, and affairs of the kingdom in a solemn language bearing a distinct period and institutional stamp. Its value lies not in literary quality but in letting one hear directly a monarch's public statements at particular historical junctures and see the Hawaiian Kingdom's self-presentation amid external pressure and internal governance. For readers studying Hawaiian history, Pacific politics, and the practice of constitutional monarchy, it is a brief yet weighty original text. Read it within the historical context of the mid-nineteenth century, noting the occasion, audience, and measured wording of each speech, without expecting continuous narrative or vivid description.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying Hawaiian history and Pacific politics
Those interested in nineteenth-century constitutional monarchy and colonial-era documents
History students needing primary texts of political speeches
Enthusiasts of Hawaiian royal institutions and monarchical discourse

Not a good fit for

General readers seeking a comprehensive history or full narrative of Hawaii
Casual readers expecting literary description and vivid storytelling
Those with no interest in political documents or raw historical materials

Reading tips

First learn the basic background of Kamehameha IV's reign, then read the speeches to understand their measured wording.
Treat each speech as an independent text, noting occasion, audience, and topic, without insisting on continuity.
Read alongside materials on Hawaiian kingdom history to place the speeches at specific historical junctures.
The length is short; suitable for reading through once and then noting key points, marking passages on legislation and governance.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What kind of texts are these speeches?

They are formal addresses by King Kamehameha IV of Hawaii to the legislature, political documents of the nineteenth-century Hawaiian Kingdom with the nature of primary historical sources rather than literary works.

Will ordinary readers gain anything from this book?

If interested in Hawaiian history or nineteenth-century Pacific politics, yes; if seeking only stories or a general history, it may feel dry. It is better suited as supplementary material for historical research.

What preparation is needed before reading?

It is advisable to first learn the dates of Kamehameha IV's reign and the basic political configuration of the Hawaiian Kingdom at the time, making it easier to understand the speeches' wording on legislation and governance and their measured tone.

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About the author

Kamehameha IV, King of the Hawaiian Islands, 1834- Author · Hawaiian · 1834–1863

Kamehameha IV (1834–1863) was king of the Kingdom of Hawaii, reigning from 1855 to 1863. The library holds one work by him, Speeches of His Majesty Kamehameha IV. To the Hawaiian Legislature, a collection of addresses delivered to the legislature on matters of governance and public affairs. During his reign he promoted the establishment of Anglican mission institutions, schools, and hospitals, reflecting his concern for religion, education, and health care. Public information about his early life, education, and writing career is limited, so this introduction rests mainly on the subject matter of his work and the direction of his rule. His speeches are formal in tone, presenting a monarch's positions to legislators, and serve as primary material for understanding politics and public life in mid-nineteenth-century Hawaii.