Summary
Highlights
Hawaii, the 50th US state, is uniquely located in Oceania and composed entirely of islands. Its name comes from its largest island, likely named after the legendary figure Hawaii Loa. Polynesian settlers first inhabited the islands around 300 CE. In 1778, Captain James Cook became the first European to contact the islands, naming them the Sandwich Islands. He was later killed there.
Following a series of battles, King Kamehameha the Great unified the islands, establishing the House of Kamehameha, which ruled until 1872. Following Kamehameha II's ascension, American Protestant missionaries converted many Hawaiians to Christianity, using their influence to end traditional practices. Under Kamehameha III, Hawaii became a Christian monarchy with the 1840 Constitution.
European visitors, including explorers, traders, and whalers, brought diseases that decimated the native Hawaiian population lacking immunity. By 1820, disease, famine, and wars significantly reduced the population. In 1887, King Kalakaua was forced to sign the 'Bayonet Constitution,' drafted by white businessmen, which stripped him of power, disenfranchised most Hawaiians, and favored the white elite.
Queen Liliuokalani, who succeeded Kalakaua, planned a new constitution to reclaim monarchical power. In 1893, Euro-American business leaders formed the Committee of Safety and, with the assistance of US Marines, overthrew the queen. A provisional government was established, and Sanford B. Dole became president. In 1993, the US Congress issued a formal apology for the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
After William McKinley's election, Hawaii was annexed by the US in 1900, becoming a territory. Despite calls for statehood, plantation owners preferred territorial status to maintain control and import cheap labor. On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by Imperial Japan, drawing the US into World War II. In 1959, Congress passed the Hawaii Admission Act, and a referendum showed 94.3% of residents voted for statehood. Hawaii quickly modernized with construction and a growing tourism economy, and in 1978, a constitutional convention was created to promote indigenous language and culture.