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"The
exact date is unknown and probably will remain so forever. But sometime after
the beginning of the Christian era, Polynesians first set foot on these islands.
Linguistic and cultural evidence suggest that the first inhabitants came from
the Marquesas Group, to the north of Tahiti.
During the 13th and 14th
centuries, waves of immigrants from Tahiti overwhelmed and absorbed the original
people. Since the earliest Hawaiians were possibly somewhat smaller than the
later immigrants, they may form the basis for the legends of the menehunes, who
were pictured by the later Hawaiians as hardworking elves.
Captain James Cook, the great
Pacific explorer, happened upon the islands during his third voyage in 1778.
Hawaii's long isolation ended at that moment. Soon, King Kamehameha the Great
embarked on his successful campaign to unite the islands into one kingdom. At
about the same time, Hawaii assumed importance in the east-west fur trade and
later as the center for the Pacific whaling industry. In 1820, the brig Thaddeus
from Boston arrived with the first missionary families.
Change came at a rapid pace as
both education and commerce assumed growing importance. The old Hawaiian culture
disappeared rapidly under the onslaught of new ways, new peoples, and new
diseases, to which the previously isolated Hawaiians were all too susceptible.
Whaling and the provisioning of the whaling fleet brought new money to the
island economy. At times, as many as 500 whaling ships wintered in Hawaiian
ports, principally Lahaina and Honolulu.
In 1835, the first commercial
production of sugar cane began and this crop took on ever-increasing economic
importance, especially after the decline of the great whaling fleets. Native
Hawaiians did not take kindly to the tedious labor of a plantation worker and,
in any case, the native population had been seriously depleted by disease. Thus,
there began the importation of labor from Asia and the Philippines and other
areas of the world. It is this varied population that gave rise to the immense
variety of Hawaii's present inhabitants.
Threatened constantly by European
nations eager to add Hawaii to their empires, sugar planters and American
businessmen began to seek annexation by the United State. This, too, would give
them the advantages of a sugar market free of tariff duties. Finally, a treaty
of reciprocity was negotiated in 1875 and this brought new prosperity to Hawaii.
American wealth poured into the islands seeking investment.
Political control by Hawaiian
royalty and the growing influence of Americans began to cause conflict. In 1889,
there was an uprising of the native islanders against the constitution which had
been forced on King Kalakaua two years earlier. The rebellion was suppressed.
In 1893, with Queen Liliuokalani
on the throne, the Americans formed a Committee of Safety and declared the
monarchy ended. In 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was established. On August 12,
1898, the government of the Republic transferred sovereignty to the United
States. Hawaii became a territory of the United States in 1900.
The pattern of growth then began
to accelerate even more rapidly. The U.S. Navy set up its giant Pacific
headquarters at Pearl Harbor and the Army built a huge garrison at Schofield
Barracks. Pineapple, other crops, cattle ranching, and tourism slowly began to
take on greater importance in the island economy.
The attack on Pearl Harbor marked
America's entry into World War II and Hawaii and its citizens played a major
role in the conflict.
The postwar period saw many rapid
changes with the descendants of plantation laborers rising to the highest
prominent in business, labor, and government.
Hawaii proved eager to take on
the full responsibilities of statehood. Under the leadership of Hawaii's last
delegate to Congress, John A. Burns, the 86th Congress approved statehood and
the bill was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on March 18,
1959. Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state of the union on August 21, 1959."
- From the Hawaii .gov website
To learn more about Hawaii, visit http://www.ehawaiigov.org/main/html/
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