The Ceded Lands Debate
The Ceded Lands Debate in Hawaii
Imagine you inherited something valuable, like a big piece of land. Now, imagine someone else is using that land and making money from it, but you aren't getting your fair share. That's kind of what's happening with something called the "Ceded Lands" in Hawaii.
What are the Ceded Lands?
Long ago, Hawaii was a kingdom ruled by Native Hawaiians. In 1893, the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown, and later Hawaii became a U.S. territory. When Hawaii became a state in 1959, about 1.2 million acres of land, called "Ceded Lands," were given to the state. These lands originally belonged to the Hawaiian Kingdom. The agreement was that the state would use these lands for public good, including benefiting Native Hawaiians.
The Argument
Some people argue that the State of Hawaii hasn't done a good enough job in compensating Native Hawaiians for the use of these Ceded Lands. They believe that the state makes a lot of money from these lands through things like tourism, businesses, and development, but not enough of that money goes back to helping Native Hawaiians.
- Ceded Lands:
- Lands that were given to the State of Hawaii when it became a state.
- Native Hawaiians:
- The original people who lived in Hawaii.
- monarchy:
- A system of government ruled by a king, queen, or royal leader.
- territory:
- An area of land that is controlled by a government or country.
- fund:
- To provide money to pay for something, such as a project or program.
- compensating:
- Providing money, goods, or services to someone to make up for a loss or for using something that belongs to them.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What are the Ceded Lands?
- 2When did Hawaii become a U.S. state?
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About this opinion / argumentative passage for Upper Elementary
“The Ceded Lands Debate” is a opinion / argumentative reading passage about Hawaiian Land Rights, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (371 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.