1840 Constitution

The Coat of Arms of the Hawaiian Kingdom was first commissioned in 1842 during the reign of Kamehameha III as a declaration of sovereignty grounded in Christian law. Its symbols join old and new: the striped banner for the islands, sacred pūloʻuloʻu for refuge, crossed spears and banner for authority, and the crown for the kingdom. At the center stands the motto Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono, proclaiming that the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. This vision of righteousness flowed directly into the 1840 Constitution, Hawaiʻi’s first written law, which recognized biblical truth and laid the foundation for a Christian form of government.

In 1840, during the reign of Kamehameha III with Kekāuluohi as Kuhina Nui, Hawai‘i adopted its first written constitution, Ke Kumukānāwai a me nā Kānāwai o ko Hawaiʻi Pae ‘Āina. This document laid out for the first time a written legal framework for the kingdom, establishing a constitutional monarchy with legislative bodies, a judicial system, and protections for both chiefs and common people. It did not only organize government, it anchored governance in biblical principles by recognizing God’s role in giving rights and setting moral limits on laws.

One of the most powerful sections is the Declaration of Rights, both of the people and chiefs, which begins:

“God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the earth in unity and blessedness. God has also bestowed certain rights alike on all men and all chiefs and all people of all lands

These are some of the rights which He has given alike to every man and every chief of correct deportment; life, limb, liberty, freedom from oppression; the earnings of his hands and the productions of his mind, not however to those who act in violation of laws”

Another critical portion states:

“No law shall be enacted which is at variance with the word of the Lord Jehovah, or at variance with the general spirit of His word. All laws of the Islands shall be in consistency with the general spirit of God’s law”

These statements show the constitution not only set legal and governmental structure, but also insisted that the rule of law must reflect Christian morality and divine justice. Historically, this was transformative: it formalized rights, limited the arbitrary power of chiefs, and provided common people a voice through the House of Representatives. Culturally, it showed how Christian influence had become integral in shaping the Hawaiian Kingdom, not only in worship and education but in law itself.