Hawaii´s History

The Hawaiian Islands are volcanic. Volcanoes on the floor of the Pacific grew as a result of eruptions and finally appeared as islands above the ocean's surface. Even today a new Hawaiian island is being formed, although this island won't be visible for another 10,000 years!

The Hawaiian Islands are remote: the nearest land is 2,500 miles away. Yet, as early as 300 A.D., ancient Polynesians, who were skillful navigators, migrated to Hawaii.

Hawaii's first contact with the West wasn't until 1778, when it was "discovered" by English explorer James Cook.

The early 1800s brought great changes. First, Kamehameha, a powerful chief, unified the islands of Hawaii by defeating the other chiefs. He established a monarchy and proved to be a good king. Second, Protestant missionaries from the United States came to Hawaii.

On the positive side, the missionaries applied the alphabet to Hawaiian and soon taught the people to read and write. On the negative side, the missionaries disapproved of Hawaiian culture and did much to discourage it.

There was also a more direct threat to Hawaiian culture: exposure of the population to new diseases. Hawaii's native population dropped from around 300,000 in 1800 to less than 100,000 in 1860. The most feared disease was leprosy. People with leprosy were taken from their home to the island of Molokai, from which they never returned.

In 1848, the land, which had belonged to the king, was divided up. Haoles, the Hawaiian word for foreigners, could now own land, as could Hawaiians. Foreigners soon had large sugarcane plantations.

These plantations required a lot of labor. Workers came from China, and then from Japan, the Philippines, Portugal, and elsewhere. Many workers stayed.

There was growing disagreement between the economically powerful haoles and the Hawaiian monarchy. The haoles wanted political reforms and obtained some of them. Then, in 1893, Queen Liliuokalani tried to restore power to the monarchy. The haoles overthrew her and set up a government.

The haoles were mostly Americans, and they wanted the United States to annex Hawaii. The United States at first refused but soon found itself in need of a military base in the Pacific. In 1900 Hawaii was annexed.

In December 1941, the Japanese surprise attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii brought the United States into World War II.

In 1959, Hawaii was made the 50th state. Just as important, the first jet landed in Hawaii. With quicker, cheaper travel, Hawaii's tourist industry boomed.

Randee Falk: Spotlight on the USA; Oxford University Press, 1993, page 165