The Rich History of Hawaii

It is believed that Polynesians from the Marquesas and Tahiti first traveled to the Hawaiian Islands between the years 500-900 A.D. History also declares that the island was first spotted by European settler, Captain James Cook, during his first voyage in 1778.

King Kamehameha won the war for control of all the islands of Hawaii after a long extensive battle with rival native chiefs. Oahu was the last islands conquered in 1795. King Kamehameha eventually unified the islands of Hawaii, forming the first unified Hawaiian Kingdom for which he ruled over until he died in 1819.

In the 1830s, the first sugar plantations were established across the Hawaiian Islands and sugar production quickly became the leading industry. In 1839 the Declaration of Rights and the Edict of Toleration were issued and this led to the first written constitution. Three years later, in 1842, the United States recognized Hawaii as an independent nation. King Kamehameha III declared Honolulu as the capitol of Hawaii in 1845, taking over from Maui the former capitol.

In 1893 Queen Lili`uokalani was overthrown and a provisional US backed government acquired power. By the early 1900s the native population, ravaged by various foreign diseases, was reduced to a mere 50,000. Approximately 60,000 additional indentured laborers were brought over from Japan to fill the demand for workers on the sugar and pineapple plantations. In 1941 Pearl Harbor and other areas on Oahu were attacked by the Japanese and this led to the United State`s entrance into World War II. Hawaii was declared the 50th US state in 1959.

In 1993, 100 years after Queen Lili`uokalani was overthrown, US President Bill Clinton issued a formal apology to the original Hawaiian inhabitants.

There are numerous museums and historic points of interest throughout Oahu where the history and culture of Hawaii and its people can be experienced firsthand.