History

The earliest archeological evidence we have of inhabitants on the Hawaiian islands dates back to 300 BCE. The first people to settle on the island are assumed to be peoples from the Polynesian islands. James Cook was the first person to document contact with Hawaii in 1778. Cook was later killed when he tried to hold a tribe chief hostage over his boat that was stolen by a different chief. After Cook's findings were made public, though, the island started to become a popular tourist spot.

Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom

Native Hawaiians had no knowledge of or any resistance to European diseases so with British occupation came numerous disease-related deaths of the first occupants of the islands. Not only that, but the people were fighting amongst themselves. Due to tribes and chiefs fighting with one another, in 1810 the islands were forced under the sole rule of King Kamehameha and his descendants until 1872. The last of the Kamehameha dynasty had no heir. All was quite hectic with the King being stripped of power but still staying in office, and then his daughter, Queen Lili'uokalani. The Queen was overthrown by the U.S., then re-instated, but the Provisional Government maintaining Hawaii refused to let her be back in power. Not until 1993 was a formal apology given by the U.S. for overthrowing the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Annexation to the United States

Grover Cleveland was friends with the Queen and was not in agreement to annex Hawaii, but William McKinley, the new President of the United States decided on a treaty of annexation in 1897 and sent it to be approved. It wasn't until 1959 that Hawaii was brought in as a U.S. state, deemed so by the Hawaii Admission Act, signed by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Soon after becoming a state, Hawaii became more industrialized with a steadily increasing economy.

The Attack on Pearl Harbor

December 7th, 1941 is a date that is remembered by the old and young in many countries. 2,402 people were killed and many others were injured by this Japanese attack in Hawaii. Japan did this to keep us from interfering with them getting to the Dutch East Indies. This not only forced the U.S. into World War II, but the fighting escalated until the first and only nuclear bombings in history - the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

In more recent times, promotion of Hawaiian culture is becoming a main focus. Though Hawaiians are considered Americans, they are still a culture of their own. The Hawaiian language and tradition is still alive today, thanks to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.