1959
Hawaii Becomes 50th State
The modern United States receives its crowning
star when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a proclamation admitting Hawaii
into the Union as the 50th state. The president also issued an order for an
American flag featuring 50 stars arranged in staggered rows: five six-star rows
and four five-star rows. The new flag became official July 4, 1960.
The first known settlers of the Hawaiian
Islands were Polynesian voyagers who arrived sometime in the eighth century. In
the early 18th century, American traders came to Hawaii to exploit the islands’
sandalwood, which was much valued in China at the time. In the 1830s, the sugar
industry was introduced to Hawaii and by the mid 19th century had become well
established. American missionaries and planters brought about great changes in
Hawaiian political, cultural, economic, and religious life. In 1840, a
constitutional monarchy was established, stripping the Hawaiian monarch of much
of his authority.
In 1893, a group of American expatriates and
sugar planters supported by a division of U.S. Marines deposed Queen
Liliuokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaii. One year later, the Republic
of Hawaii was established as a U.S. protectorate with Hawaiian-born Sanford B.
Dole as president. Many in Congress opposed the formal annexation of Hawaii,
and it was not until 1898, following the use of the naval base at Pearl Harbor
during the Spanish-American War, that Hawaii’s strategic importance became
evident and formal annexation was approved. Two years later, Hawaii was
organized into a formal U.S. territory. During World War II, Hawaii became
firmly ensconced in the American national identity following the surprise
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
In March 1959, the U.S. government approved
statehood for Hawaii, and in June the Hawaiian people voted by a wide majority
to accept admittance into the United States. Two months later, Hawaii
officially became the 50th state.