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The Admission Act, formally United States Public Law 86-3 An Act to Provide for the Admission of the State of Hawaii into the Union, is the official document passed by the United States Congress and signed by President of the United States Dwight Eisenhower on March 18, 1959 that dissolved the Territory of Hawaii and established the State of Hawaii. Hawaii became the fiftieth state of the Union. Because the document extended all the rights afforded to American citizens to a territory that had a non-white majority, the Admission Act is considered the first civil rights legislation passed by the post- World War II Congress.1 Debate and Controversy
The acceptance of statehood for Hawaii was not without its share of controversy. Various bills of admission were stalled in Congressional hearings since the early 1900s because of the racial prejudices of many members of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate. There was a fear of establishing a state that was governed by an ethnic minority, namely the large Asian American population. Lawmakers questioned the American patriotism of Hawaii residents. Upon the election of John A. Burns from the Hawaii Democratic Party as delegate of the Territory of Hawaii to Congress, southern leaders charged that Burns' election was evidence of Hawaii as a haven for CommunismThis article is about communism as a form of society, as an ideology advocating that form of society, and as a popular movement. For issues regarding the organization of the communist movement, see the Communist party article. For issues regarding one-par.
1.1 Southern Lawmakers
Burns was involved in vigorous lobbying of his colleagues persuading them that the race-based objections were unfair and charges that Communist Party sympathizers controlled Hawaii were blatant lies. Burns worked especially hard with the southerners, led by Lyndon Johnson, who blocked the various Hawaii statehood bills. Upon leaving her seat as delegate from Hawaii, Elizabeth P. FarringtonMary Elizabeth Pruett Farrington ( May 30, 1898 — July 21, 1984), usually called Elizabeth P. Farrington was publisher of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and an American statesman who served as delegate to the United States Congress for the Territory of Hawai' said, "Of course, Lyndon Johnson was no friend of statehood." She cited Johnson's fear that Hawaii would send representatives and senators to Congress who would oppose segregation. Farrington added, "There were 22 times when he voted against us. He did everything he could, because he was representing the Southern racial opposition."
1.2 Plantation Owners
Statehood was also opposed in Hawaii by members of the Hawaii Republican Party, controlled by powerful sugrarcane plantation owners like the Big Five. Other businessmen like construction tycoon Walter F. DillinghamWalter F. Dillingam ( 1875- 1963), also called the Baron of Hawai'i Industry was a leading industrialist and entrepreneur from Honolulu, Hawai'i. A highly influential businessman, he gained favors from Hawai'i politicians to develop urban Honolulu. In 191 tried to influence Congressmen and visiting Senators that Hawaii didn't need representation in Congress. The fear of the Big Five and people like Dillingham was that the labor unions would be substantially strengthened, dimishing control over what types of benefits they would choose to give or withhold from their employees.
2 Text of the Admission Act
2.1 Section 01
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, subject to the provisions of this Act, and upon issuance of the proclamation required by section 7(c) of this Act, the State of Hawaii is hereby declared to be a State of the United States of America, is declared admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the other States in all respects whatever, and the constitution formed pursuant to the provisions of the Act of the Territorial Legislature of Hawaii entitled "An Act to provide for a constitutional convention, the adoption of a State constitution, and the forwarding of the same to the Congress of the United States, and appropriating money therefor", approved May 20, 1949 (Act 334, Session Laws of Hawaii, 1949), and adopted by a vote of the people of Hawaii in the election held on November 7, 1950, is hereby found to be republican in form and in conformity with the Constitution of the United States and the principles of the Declaration of Independence, and is hereby accepted, ratified, and confirmed.
