De geschiedenis van Hawaii, in het kort.

Background Information. Our history of Hawaii begins some time between 500 and 600 AD, when the first Polynesians arrive on the islands of Hawaii. For about 500 years they live an isolated and (as far as we know) peaceful existence. In 1000 AD the Tahitians come to Hawaii and made the island-people aware of their culture by making them ware their clothes, believe in their Gods and make about every decision that has to be made on the island chain. In 1778 the first Westerner “discovered” Hawaii. His name was James Cook. He made Hawaii part of Great-Britain (his home country) and gave it the name “Sandwich Islands”. At first, the Hawaiian people listened to Cook because they believed he was the God of peace: Lono. When proved he wasn’t who they had expecting him to be, Cook was stabbed to death at Kealakekau Bay. By who, no-one really knows. At that time, a new system had to be introduced. The people chose to make Kamehameha their new, and first king. A new monarchy was born. King Kame-hameha (or Kamehameha the great) began to trade sandalwood with American sea captains. For ten years Hawaii was big in the sandalwood industry. At 1820 more and more Yankee whaling ships came to Hawaii, not only for the sandalwood, but also for the wine and even the women. Hawaii now was the centre of the Pacific whaling industry, and had that title for about 50 years. Along with the sailors came the missionaries. They wanted the people of Hawaii to believe in the Western God and teached them lessons from the bible. In 1850, that same missionaries established the sugar industry at Hawaii. The native population wasn’t enough for the huge plantations they had to work on, so the missionaries had to transport “employers” from country’s as China, Japan and Portugal to Hawaii. The sugar industry grew fast and as Hawaii made more money and became more important, the USA got more interested in Hawaii. In 1900, Hawaii became, not voluntarily, part of the USA. The USA used Hawaii as a military bases for a lot of ships, airplanes and people as marines and sailors. The most important and famous part of the Hawaiian history takes, without a doubt, places in Pearl Harbor, at 7 December 1941. The Japanese bombed the harbour to destroy an important part of the USA-defence-system but in the famous words of the Japanese leader “they just woke up a sleeping dog”. The USA declared war to Japan and Germany to revenge Pearl Harbor and World War 2 began for the USA. While Hawaii builds up it’s community again, a poll proved that 90% of the Hawaiian people wanted Hawaii to be an US state. In 1959, Hawaii becomes the 50th state of the USA. In the presence, Hawaii has gotten out of it’s depression of 7 December 1941 and became one of the most wanted tourist destinations of the world. Many people want to experience the beauty Hawaii represents and relax on the amazing islands. The Hawaiian people are happy, although some of them want to restore the monarchy or become a nation within the USA. In 1993, Bill Clinton signed a resolution, apologising for the not voluntarily overthrow of the Hawaiian islands in 1900, almost 100 years earlier.