About Hawaii | Hawaii History | Hawaii Culture

While there is some evidence that Juan Gaetano, a Spanish navigator, may have visited the islands in 1555, Captain James Cook is credited with the discovery of Hawaii, during a voyage to find the fabled Northwest Passage around the American continent. Captain Cook chose the name of the Sandwich Islands, after the current Lord of the Admiralty, the Earl of Sandwich. At the time of its discovery, Hawaii is estimated to have had a population of over 400,000 people.

Kamehameha I united Hawaii under a single ruler for the first time in 1810 and ascended to the throne in 1819. Under pressure from his co-ruler and stepmother, Ka'ahumanu, he abolished the Kapu religious system, which restricted women from many activities, such as eating with men. In 1820, missionaries from a New England missionary group arrived and were given limited permission to preach. Within a few years, some of the highest-ranking chiefs converted to Christianity and the mission was then given permission to stay permanently. The commoners swiftly followed the example of their leaders and converted to Protestant Christianity and Hawaii became a decidedly Christian nation.

In 1839, Kamehameha III issued a series of proclamations, changing the governance of Hawaii from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy. The Constitution divided the powers of government between an elected legislative branch, a judicial branch and the executive branch, The monarch, either king or queen, became the chief executive and head of state.

Non-Hawaiian residents of the islands also pushed for a change in the land ownership practices of the kingdom. Land was held only while the chiefs allowed and could revert to the chief at any time. The non-Hawaiians wished to own the land according to their own customs. The ruling chiefs were eventually persuaded to allow the land to be surveyed and divided between the king, the chiefs, and the commoners. Westerners would then be able to purchase land or register land claims. The land division was signed into law on March 7, 1848 by King Kamehameha III.

In 1887, King David Kalākaua was forced to sign what was known by its critics as the "Bayonet Constitution". The constitution was in response to Kalākaua's capricious use of power, with the new constitution stripping the monarchy of much of its authority, imposing significant income and property requirements for voting, and forbid all Asians from voting. Only well-to-do Europeans, Americans and native Hawaiians were given full voting rights. When Kalākaua died in 1891, his sister Lili'uokalani assumed the throne. With lukewarm support from native Hawaiians the queen drafted a new constitution that would restore the monarchy's authority and strip non-Hawaiians of the suffrage they had obtained in 1887.

A group of European and American Hawaiian citizens and residents in Hawaii formed a "Committee of Safety"to prevent the Queen from replacing the 1887 constitution. A provisional government was set up with the strong support of the Honolulu Rifles, a militia group. Under this pressure, Lili'uokalani gave up her throne to the Committee of Safety on January 17, 1893. The Republic of Hawaii was established July 4, 1894 under President Sanford Dole.

On February 22, 1900, Hawaii was annexed as a territory of the United States. Hawaii remained unknown to most Americans until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor caused America's entry into World War II. The large number of military personnel stationed on the Hawaiian Islands during the war spread the word about the island paradise, causing a surge in tourism following the war. Hawaii became the 50th state of the Union on August 21, 1959 after a vote of over 94% in favor of statehood.