Transcript History of Hawaii

History of Hawaii
Earliest Hawaiians
 300-700

B.C.
Polynesians who
traveled to
Hawaii by canoe
• Brought pigs,
dogs, chickens,
sweet potatoes,
taro, coconut,
sugarcane
Earliest Hawaiians (cont’d)
 No

written language
History, religion, and
culture were all
passed down through
songs and chants
Social Structure

King

Each island had its own king

Chief Minister (spiritual advisor to the
King)

Ali’i
Chiefs of villages, put in place by the King

Kahuna


Craftsman of canoes, medicine, spells, etc.
Makaainana


Commoners (the poor, the workers)
Largest group of people
“Kapu” System (Laws)

System of religious beliefs that held Hawaiian
society together

Taboos, or things that should not be done

Examples
• Men and women could not eat together
• Women could not eat bananas, coconuts
• Fishing could only be done in certain seasons

Men could only eat certain kinds of fish
• Shadow of a commoner could not fall on a Chief

Breaking these laws was punishable by death!

Human sacrifice, losing your eyes, limbs, etc.
“European Discovery”

January 1778


Captain James Cook
“discovers” the islands
while searching for
route from Alaska to
Asia
First person to write
about the Hawaiian’s
riding waves on
wooden boards
(surfing!)
How did Capt. Cook die in Hawaii?
Kamehameha The Great

King Kamehameha I (1758-1819)



Learned combat from the British
(Capt. Cook)
Conquered Big Island, Maui,
Molokai, Lanai
To conquer to Oahu, he built a huge
fleet of canoes to carry his warriors
• Landed at Waikiki, drove the Oahu’ans
back to Nu’uanu Pali
Formation of Hawaiian Kingdom

After victory on Oahu, Kauai quickly agreed to
peace

The 8 Hawaiian islands became one kingdom,
with allegiance to Great Britain

American farmers begin moving to Hawaii in
1820s

5 more “Kamehamea’s”
Kamehameha IV (1834-1863)
 During
his reign, many foreigners
(Americans) began trying to get
Hawaii annexed to the United
States


These were sugarcane plantation
owners
Wanted more trade with the USA
($$$$$$)
Kamehameha V (1830-1872)

The Civil War cut off sugar to the Northern
states from the South
• Created huge demand for sugar in the USA
(northern states)


People (Americans and Hawaiians)
created a Hawaiian Legislature, limiting
power of the King
Lots of racial trouble
• Fights in the Legislature between native
Hawaiians and white Americans
• Whites refused to speak “Hawaiian” in the
legislature. Hawaiians refused to speak English

Last King of Hawaii who wasn’t elected
Queen Lili’uokalani (1838-1917)

Struggled with fights between white
businessmen and native Hawaiian
politicians

Queen wanted to give more power
back to the monarchy

1887 - White businessmen formed a
militia (1500 men) and a new
government (Committee of Safety)

The Queen could have had them
arrested for treason!
Overthrow of Hawaii - 1898

1893 –





Lili’uokalani wanted peace, so she didn’t
arrest them
However, the Committee of Safety’s militia
took over the government buildings
The night before this, US marines landed on
Oahu to “keep the peace”
The Queen was forced to accept the
annexation of Hawaii to the United States
Native Hawaiians tried to revolt in 1895,
which failed.

The Queen was arrested and sentenced to
imprisonment in a bedroom in I’olani Palace