White House Blogs
 Official Podcasts |
Government
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Hawaii |
|
800-GO-HAWAII Â
  #  Entered Union  Year Settled 50th      August 21, 1959                1820  Nickname Aloha State  Rank     Population 42nd     1,288,198  Rank     Square Miles 43rd      10,931  State Bird Nēnē or Hawaiian Goose  State Flower Hawaiian hibiscus (ma‘o hau hele)  State Tree  State Motto Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono              The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness  Known as the "Aloha State" (in Hawaiian, "aloha" means "hello"), Hawaii is a group of volcanic islands in the central Pacific Ocean that together became the 50th state in 1959. The state's name is possibly derived from a native Hawaiian word for homeland, hawaiki or owhyhee. Today, Hawaii, whose capital is Honolulu, is often called the "Crossroads of the Pacific" and is a popular vacation spot.  How did Hawaii become a U.S. state?  Long before surfing movies were made about Oahu's north shore, Hawaii's earliest inhabitants were Polynesian voyagers, living there for more than 1,000 years before European explorers visited. The English explorer Captain James Cook called them the Sandwich Islands in 1778 for the English Earl of Sandwich. Thankfully, that name didn't stick. How would you like to tell your friends you're going to Sandwich on vacation?  In 1820, New England missionaries arrived and began to "westernize" the islands. In 1840, Britain, France, and the United States recognized Hawaii as an independent kingdom, headed by King Kamehameha III. The House of Kamehameha was the reigning family of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1795 until its dissolution in 1903.  In 1887, the United States was granted permission to establish a naval base in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor. Later, U.S. sugar interests encouraged that the King be overthrown, and Hawaii was established as a republic in 1893. U.S. domination of the islands came five years later, when the United States annexed Hawaii and it became a U.S. territory in 1900.  Under increasing U.S. influence, the population of Hawaii grew and its economy grew as well, as the islands increased sugar and pineapple production to satisfy the U.S. mainland. Hawaii's importance as a military outpost became critical when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This brought the United States as well as Hawaii into World War II.  Following the war's end in 1945, the state took a long journey toward statehood. On August 21, 1959, Hawaii was admitted to the union as our 50th state.  Mark Twain (an "Amazing American") once called Hawaii "the loveliest fleet of islands that lies in any ocean."  Did you know that a long line of monarchs once ruled Hawaii? King Kamehameha I was one member of this royal line. He was born in North Kohala on the island of Hawaii, and it's estimated that he was born between 1740 and 1758. His childhood was spent in seclusion with foster parents who trained him in the skills of warfare and prepared him for his role as warrior-king of the island nation.  Although Kamehameha lived at the same time as Napoleon and George Washington, they were very different kinds of rulers, mainly because of how different their cultures were. During King Kamehameha I's reign, there was no written language, and the Polynesian religion that was practiced was called Hoomana. This religion was based on a group of gods similar to those of the Romans and Greeks.  Kamehameha I was a very successful king and ruled in peace. He accomplished a great deal by establishing trade with foreign countries, introducing new animal and plant life, and promoting agriculture and industry.  King Kamehameha I died in 1819. Today, every June 11, the giant statue of King Kamehameha shown here is decorated and festivities include parades on every island, arts and crafts fairs, sports challenges, pageantry, and an international hula competition.  Did you know that you can tell stories with a dance? That's what the kids in the photo are doing when they do the hula, a traditional dance of Hawaii. The hula combines flowing movement with facial expressions, all set to special chants and music. When hula began it was a form of worship.  Prince Lot Kapu`aiwa kept the hula alive in Hawaii at a time when interest in it was fading. Can you guess how he did it? The prince, who later became Kamehameha V, King of Hawaii from 1863 to 1872, was noted for his energy and strength of will.  One of his interests was to promote and preserve Hawaiian culture, especially the hula. He did this by holding hula performances at his cottage in Moanalua. To many, the hula represents Hawaiians' view of the world.  In appreciation of Prince Lot's efforts to preserve Hawaiian culture, the Prince Lot Hula Festival was established in 1978. Each year na halau (hula schools) come to the festival to perform at Moanalua Gardens in Honolulu.  This festival also includes other Hawaiian activities and exhibits such as hand-stitched quilts, leaf-weaving demonstrations to make hats and baskets, instrument-making and lei-making (a lei is a necklace of flowers).  The Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy." On that day, Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans. It completely destroyed the American battleship U.S.S. Arizona and capsized the U.S.S. Oklahoma. The attack also sank three other ships, damaged many vessels, and demolished 180 aircraft. The attack took the country by surprise, especially the ill-prepared Pearl Harbor base.  "AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL." The ranking United States naval officer in Pearl Harbor, known as the Commander-in-Chief Pacific, sent this hurried dispatch to all major navy commands and fleet units. Radio stations receiving the news interrupted regular broadcasts to announce the tragic news to the American public. Most people knew what the attack meant for the U.S. even before Roosevelt's official announcement the next day. The U.S. would declare war on Japan.  The U.S. was already close to joining the war, but in an attempt to preserve its stance of isolation and neutrality, it had only committed to sending war supplies on loan to the Allied forces, mainly Great Britain, France, and Russia. Within days, Japan's allies, Germany and Italy (known collectively as the Axis powers), declared war on the United States. December 7, the "date which will live in infamy," brought us into World War II. Do you know anyone who fought in the war? |
