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[[Image:NOAA_Hawaii_7.gif‎ |right|thumb|350px|Hawaiian Island Chain - from Southeast to Northwest.‎]]  

[[Image:NOAA_Hawaii_7.gif‎|right|thumb|350px|Hawaiian Island Chain - from Southeast to Northwest.‎]]  

'''Hawaii''' (Hawaiian: Hawai'i), the '''Kingdom of Hawaii''' from 1795–1893 was annexed by the [[United States of America]] in 1894 and a territory from 1900-1959, became the 50th state to join the union on August 21st, 1959--it was the fiftieth (and last) state to enter into the union. In 2005 it had a population of 1,275,194 on 6,423 square miles of land. <ref>http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108204.html</ref> It is located in the Pacific Ocean west and south of the mainland of the United States. It is the only American state to have 2 official languages. The main Hawaiian islands are (east to west) Hawai'i (or 'the Big Island'), [[Maui]], Kaho'olawe, [[Molokai|Moloka'i]], [[Lanai|Lana'i]], [[Oahu|O'ahu]], [[Kauai|Kaua'i]] and Ni'ihau. The state capital, [[Honolulu]], and [[Pearl Harbor]] are both on the island of Oahu. The origin of the name ''Hawai'i'' is obscure. It could be derived from the Polynesian ''Owhyii'', 'Place of the Gods', or from ''Hawaiki'' (the former name of Raiatea in the [[Society Islands]]), or may have the meaning 'Homeland'.<ref>Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names (Oxford 2005) p210</ref>

'''Hawaii''' (Hawaiian: Hawai'i), the '''Kingdom of Hawaii''' from 1795–1893 was annexed by the [[United States of America]] in 1894 and a territory from 1900-1959, became the 50th state to join the union on August 21, 1959—it was the fiftieth (and last) state to enter into the union. In 2005 it had a population of 1,275,194 on 6,423 square miles of land.<ref>http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108204.html</ref> It is located in the Pacific Ocean west and south of the mainland of the United States. It is the only American state to have 2 official languages. The main Hawaiian islands are (east to west) Hawai'i (or 'the Big Island'), [[Maui]], Kaho'olawe, [[Molokai|Moloka'i]], [[Lanai|Lana'i]], [[Oahu|O'ahu]], [[Kauai|Kaua'i]] and Ni'ihau. The state capital, [[Honolulu]], and [[Pearl Harbor]] are both on the island of Oahu. The origin of the name ''Hawai'i'' is obscure. It could be derived from the Polynesian ''Owhyii'', 'Place of the Gods', or from ''Hawaiki'' (the former name of Raiatea in the [[Society Islands]]), or may have the meaning 'Homeland'.<ref>Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names (Oxford 2005) p210</ref>

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The original settlers of the Hawaiian island chain were Polynesian explorers who voyaged in ocean-worthy canoes from the southern Pacific (primarily the Marquesas), arriving in the islands circa 300-600 AD.  In addition to their Polynesian culture and traditions, these earliest settlers brought with them an array of plants and animals.  A second wave of migrations between the Hawaiian and Society Islands took place circa 1000-1300 AD, and this wave brought an infusion of Tahitian religious forms and social structure to the inhabitants of Hawaii. This period ended around 1300 AD, after which the culture of the Hawaiians developed a distinct identity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=311</ref>

The original settlers of the Hawaiian island chain were Polynesian explorers who voyaged in ocean-worthy canoes from the southern Pacific (primarily the Marquesas), arriving in the islands circa 300-600 AD.  In addition to their Polynesian culture and traditions, these earliest settlers brought with them an array of plants and animals.  A second wave of migrations between the Hawaiian and Society Islands took place circa 1000-1300 AD, and this wave brought an infusion of Tahitian religious forms and social structure to the inhabitants of Hawaii. This period ended around 1300 AD, after which the culture of the Hawaiians developed a distinct identity.<ref>http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ig.page&CategoryID=311</ref>

The population of ancient Hawaii grew sharply between 900 and 1300 AD, then stabilized at a lower rate as the inhabitants lived in balance with the resources of the islands.  At the time James Cook arrived in 1778, the population of the islands was estimated to be around 300,000. <ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

The population of ancient Hawaii grew sharply between 900 and 1300 AD, then stabilized at a lower rate as the inhabitants lived in balance with the resources of the islands.  At the time James Cook arrived in 1778, the population of the islands was estimated to be around 300,000.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

==The 18th Century==

==The 18th Century==

===Unification under a Single King===

===Unification under a Single King===

In the middle of the 18th century, the Hawaiian islands were governed as a collection of separate kingdoms.  As the century came to a close, a dynamic figure named [[Kamehameha]] began a campaign to unify all of the islands under his rule as sole monarch. This was primarily accomplished though brutal conquest, although some of his opponents capitulated peacefully as his army's reputation grew.  Kamehameha's conquest of the islands was complete by 1795, and the westerners who arrived from that time and afterward dealt with a single authority for the entire chain. <ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

In the middle of the 18th century, the Hawaiian islands were governed as a collection of separate kingdoms.  As the century came to a close, a dynamic figure named [[Kamehameha]] began a campaign to unify all of the islands under his rule as sole monarch. This was primarily accomplished though brutal conquest, although some of his opponents capitulated peacefully as his army's reputation grew.  Kamehameha's conquest of the islands was complete by 1795, and the westerners who arrived from that time and afterward dealt with a single authority for the entire chain.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

===Discovery by the West===

===Discovery by the West===

===The End of ''Kapu''===

===The End of ''Kapu''===

With the death of Kamehameha and ascension of his son Liholiho to the throne, significant changes began to take place.  The most profound was the decision by Liholiho to disregard the sanctity of the ''kapu'' system of rules and customs that had been the backbone of Hawaiian society.  In gradual steps, he allowed changes to customs like allowing men and women to eat together at feasts for the first time, and as objections to these changes were dropped or put down they continued until temples to the ancient gods were dismantled and idols burned.  The abandonment of ''kapu'' left a void in the social structure of Hawaii just as the first Christian missionaries began to arrive. <ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

With the death of Kamehameha and ascension of his son Liholiho to the throne, significant changes began to take place.  The most profound was the decision by Liholiho to disregard the sanctity of the ''kapu'' system of rules and customs that had been the backbone of Hawaiian society.  In gradual steps, he allowed changes to customs like allowing men and women to eat together at feasts for the first time, and as objections to these changes were dropped or put down they continued until temples to the ancient gods were dismantled and idols burned.  The abandonment of ''kapu'' left a void in the social structure of Hawaii just as the first Christian missionaries began to arrive.<ref>http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/06/16/millennium/index.html</ref>

===The Missionary Influence===

===The Missionary Influence===

===Elected officials===

===Elected officials===

====Federal====  

====Federal====

*Sen. [[Mazie Hirono]] [D]  

*Sen. [[Mazie Hirono]] [D]  

*Sen. [[Brian Schatz]] [D]  

*Sen. [[Brian Schatz]] [D]  

* Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows [[coffee]] and [[pineapple]]s.

* Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows [[coffee]] and [[pineapple]]s.

* Measured from the base to its peak, Hawaii's Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world at 33,474 feet, (compared to [[Mount Everest]] which is 29,028 feet above sea level)<ref>[http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/BeataUnke.shtml]</ref>.

* Measured from the base to its peak, Hawaii's Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world at 33,474 feet, (compared to [[Mount Everest]] which is 29,028 feet above sea level).<ref>[http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/BeataUnke.shtml]</ref>

*President [[Barack Obama]] was born in Hawaii.

*President [[Barack Obama]] was born in Hawaii.