The Idiots have a friend in Denmark named Pia. She asked how Hawaii came to be a US state. They realized they had only a vague idea of how that came to pass. In researching the answer, they found the tale of how the United States managed to grow by about 1000% from its original size without ever officially having a colony or becoming an empire fascinating.
Readers not interested in history may feel free to skip on to the sunset photos – but the Idiots think this is pretty interesting stuff.
Today, American children learn the names of the states by joyfully singing “FIFTY NIFTY United States…” and their teachers probably grew up singing the same song. When the Idiots grew up, they delivered the Pledge of Allegiance to a 48-star spangled banner. There were 48 states and they were one contiguous group.
The official flag had 49 stars after Alaska became a state in January, 1959 – but most people didn’t bother to replace theirs, because in August, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state.
Because of America’s origin as a group of colonies that had to fight two bloody wars with Great Britain to gain their independence, the country had a defacto policy that the US would not have its own colonies. Of course, this did not prevent the pattern of subjugation, expulsion, and annihilation of Native peoples as the country expanded westward toward the Mississippi River, a process that was not qualitatively different from colonization. There was a political difference, though. The conquered areas did not become colonies of the US – they became independent states within a union.
The policy against colonization also did not stop the US from expanding by buying areas previously colonized by European governments. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson roughly doubled the size of the US by buying a huge area west of the Mississippi at a fire-sale price from a cash-strapped Napoleon. Napoleon had only recently taken back the area we call The Louisiana Purchase from Spain – who had taken the area from France in 1767. In 1867, the US bought a gigantic wilderness area to the far north called Alaska from the Russian Empire.
Texas and California gave the US a different opportunity. Instead of buying them from the Mexico, which was itself a former colony, America simply “annexed” them. This is a formal, legal term for taking a chunk of land that is not yours and saying that from now on it is yours. The US won the war that followed and a good piece of what is now Arizona and New Mexico was thrown in. Not quite satisfied, the US bought some more land from Mexico a few years later, establishing the current border.
Things got a little bit more complicated after the Spanish-American war ended in 1901. There was a long tradition of victorious countries taking the colonies of defeated foes. America publicly declared it would not become an empire – but the defeated Spanish were forced to cede many territories to the US. Cuba was promised independence, but the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico became “Protectorates.” The Philippines eventually became independent, but to this day America retains “Territories” - non-colonies that remain in a gray area… not states, but not independent countries.
But Hawaii… now that history is one tangled web of competing political and economic forces. Prior to European contact, the islands of Hawaii were the setting for continuous conflicts as opposing chiefs vied for control over parcels of land. When Captain Cook landed in 1778, he did not claim the islands as a British colony. He developed relationships with local leaders with the intent of making the islands a safe port to support British economic interests in the Pacific. The warlike nature of Hawaiian culture was an impediment – Cook was killed in a squabble over a stolen boat – but within a few years the British had assisted one local leader, King Kamehameha I, to conquer and unify the islands into a single empire that the British could control through economic means. Other European nations, and eventually the US, were drawn to Hawaii by the opportunity to exploit its rich soil and wates.
The Europeans brought more than gunpowder and “modern” conveniences to Hawaii – they also brought European diseases. In the century after Cook’s arrival, the native population was reduced by roughly 80-90%. This left a relatively open field for foreign businesses to dominate Hawaii. While missionaries worked diligently to destroy traditional Hawaiian culture, European and American businesses reaped great wealth from the islands from whaling and sugar cane.
In 1875, the ruling Hawaiian family made a treaty with the US. The US recognized Hawaii’s independence and allowed duty-free import of Hawaiian sugar into the US market. Hawaii ceded land to the US for what is now Pearl Harbor. Native Hawaiians revolted. US Marines invaded and squelched the rebellion.
In 1887, White Americans, combining the influence of the missionaries and businesses, hired mercenaries and overthrew the Hawaiian government. They installed leaders that were, in effect, puppets of US interests. The Hawaiian officials were in an impossible position – their own people saw them as traitors while they felt they must cooperate with the Americans to avoid losing their independence.
As happens so often throughout history, surrendering some freedoms in the hope of keeping others often leads to no freedom at all. In 1898, the US annexed the islands and created “The Territory of Hawaii.”
So how did Hawaii become a US state… way off in the middle of the Pacific? Well… White Americans saw an opportunity to make a lot of money, so they stole the islands from the natives… and their government supported them with military force.
But at least Hawaii was never a colony!
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The Idiot group stayed at a condo at Napili Point on Maui for a week. The following pictures illustrate why it was difficult for any of the party to consider being anywhere else as the sun set each night over the island of Lanai.
The last day of the trip, the Idiots group vacated their condo and spent the day lazing along a section of coastline they had not previously explored before catching their overnight flights back to the mainland. Their final sunset was both a gift from the Hawaiian gods – and a taunt. The beauty was awe-inspiring… but also said “You said this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip – but can you really stay away when you know this is waiting for you?!”
then mad a deal with some local and then forgot the deal... sure doesn't sound like the way to have a colony at all 
you see there are so many things their ancestors do not know ....