Changes

==History Since 1700==

==History Since 1700==

European discovery of the Hawaiian Islands was by Captain [[James Cook]] in 1778. The native Hawaiians were Polynesians and worshiped tiki gods. In the decades after Cook's visit the islands were united under one chief and eventually became a Christian kingdom through the help of missionaries.

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>

Hawaii became united under King Kamehameha I who forced all independent kingdoms in the Hawaiian Islands to join a Hawaiian Kingdom under his rule. He did not do this via diplomacy or by elections. He did it by conquest.

European discovery of the Hawaiian Islands was by Captain [[James Cook]] in 1778. As the location of the islands appeared on navigation charts they were visited by ships of various nations, including the British, Americans, French and Russians, since the location was ideal for providing safe anchorage and the replenishment of provisions in the mid-Pacific. The islands were also strategically located in the migration path of humpback whales, which were among the most sought-after by a thriving whaling industry in the early 1800's. Unfortunately, contact with westerners brought with it western diseases that decimated the indigenous population, which plummeted from approximately 300,000 in 1778 to 56,900 in 1872.

The Hawaiian Kingdom flourished throughout the 19th century with several monarchs. It became increasingly westernized. This modernization of Hawaiian society eventually lead to the Hawaiian Revolution of 1893 when Hawaiian citizens (many of western descent) overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in response to her attempt to unilaterally impose a new constitution increasing her power. The revolution was successful with the loss of no life. The new Hawaiian government was set up as the Republic of Hawaii and it was recognized by every nation which had recognized the Hawaiian Kingdom.

The Hawaiian Kingdom flourished throughout the 19th century with several monarchs. It became increasingly westernized. This modernization of Hawaiian society eventually lead to the Hawaiian Revolution of 1893 when Hawaiian citizens (many of western descent) overthrew Queen Liliuokalani in response to her attempt to unilaterally impose a new constitution increasing her power. The revolution was successful with the loss of no life. The new Hawaiian government was set up as the Republic of Hawaii and it was recognized by every nation which had recognized the Hawaiian Kingdom.