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History
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Early History
The first people to set foot on Hawaii were
probably Polynesian fishermen, or perhaps defeated warriors whose
canoes were drawn hopelessly northward into unfamiliar waters. They arrived by a
combination of extraordinary good luck and an uncanny ability to sail and navigate without
instruments, using the sun by day and the moon and rising stars by night. Continued
Captain Cook
 Captain James Cook is credited with
discovering the Hawaiian Islands in 1778. He named them the Sandwich Islands, in honor of John Montague,
the Earl of Sandwich. However, the islands may have already been visited by Europeans
prior to Cook. There is speculation that Captain Gaetano of Spain had landed in Hawaii in
the 16th century. Continued
 Colonial History
At the time of Cook’s arrival
in Hawaii in 1778 the islands were divided into separate warring chiefdoms. Kamehameha
the Great, who by 1791 had become sole chief of the Big Island, was to become the first to
unite all the Hawaiian Islands after conquering Maui, Molokai and Oahu. Kauai was never
conquered after several unsuccessful attempts due to the fierce seas surrounding Kauai but
agreed to treaty in 1810. Continued
Territorial History
In January 1893, as
Liliuokalani was about to proclaim a new constitution to restore royal powers, a group of
white business  men with the aid of armed US troops, declared the monarchy overthrown.
They announced a provisional government led by Sanford Dole, son of a pioneer missionary.
Wanting to avoid bloodshed, the queen stepped down.
The provisional
government immediately appealed to the US for annexation, while the queen appealed to the
US to restore the monarchy. The provisional government, gained firm power and turned
a deaf ear to President Cleveland when he issued an order restoring the queen to her
throne. Continued
Statehood History
In March 1959, the US
Congress finally passed legislation to make Hawaii a state and more than 90% of the
islanders voted for statehood. Continued
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