Hawaii was the last state to join the Union when it was admitted on
August 21, 1959. It is actually a group of 132 islands situated in the
northern Pacific Ocean, about 2,400 miles (3,862 kilometers) westsouthwest of San Francisco, California. The four largest islands of the
state are Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, and Kauai.
English explorer James Cook (1728–1779) first sighted Oahu in
1778. At that time, a chief ruled each Hawaiian island. Once Europeans
began sailing to the islands, the native populations were exposed to smallpox, venereal disease, liquor, and firearms. Hawaii’s first written constitution was adopted in 1840. In 1848, a land reform called the Great Mahele
fostered the expansion of sugar plantations, and subsequent decades saw
the arrival of Chinese laborers to work those plantations.
In 1893, Hawaii’s queen was overthrown during an American-led
revolution. Soon after, Hawaii’s government adopted a new constitution
and was proclaimed the Republic of Hawaii. The Spanish-American
War in 1898 fed expansionist (desire to expand territorial holdings) sentiment in the United States. Hawaii was a prime military asset, and its
profitable sugar plantations were attractive. In June 1900, Hawaii became a territory of the United States. In 2006, Hawaii, also known as the Aloha state, was home to nearly
1.3 million people, 24.9 percent of whom were white. Another 2 percent
were African American, and 42 percent were Asian. Only 8.5 percent
were Pacific Islanders or Native Hawaiians.
Hawaii’s economy is based on tourism and defense, though in recent
years, the state has become increasingly important as an economic, educational, and cultural bridge between the United States and Asia and the
Pacific. The Iraq Invasion (2003–) and the subsequent recession had a
serious impact on the state’s tourism industry. One month after the war
began in March 2003, Hawaii’s tourism business decreased by one-third.
During a wartime economy, it is not unusual for people to be more frugal with their money. This thriftiness hurts states that rely on tourism for
their revenue.
Hawaii is one of the most expensive states in which to live, as it is
the second among the fifty states in terms of personal taxes. As of 2006,
it had nine individual income tax brackets, ranging from 1.4 percent to
8.25 percent. It is the only state to have a single, unified public school
system, which was founded in 1840.
Unlike other states, the main modes of transportation in Hawaii are
airplanes and helicopters. In 2005, Hawaii had thirty-one airports and
seventeen heliports. It has two railroads, but only 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) of track.