William Little Lee may not be a household name, but his actions could arguably be the foundation for the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Notably, he served as Hawaii's first chief justice and drafted laws permitting foreigners to own land outright. Historically, his arrival to the islands has been portrayed as a serendipitous accident, a narrative that has never been scrutinized. This paper demonstrates that Lee may have been sent to Hawaii by foreign interests keen on manipulating land laws to their advantage. It casts doubt on his motives and establishes an early connection between Lee and Henry A. Peirce (sometimes spelled Pierce), who may have been involved in his dispatch. Peirce was a powerful trader and merchant with whom Lee collaborated to acquire land for a sugar plantation and was influential with the American government. The story of William Little Lee likely harbors more complexity than initially apparent. His arrival coincided with a time when altering land laws in the Kingdom of Hawaii would yield substantial commercial and strategic advantages for the United States.

Capstone Project: Short Documentary