Changes

The Kingdom of Hawaii came about after the conquest of the Hawaiian islands by Kamehameha, who was king in the main island of Hawaii. In 1810, the islands of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau joined kingdom after they volunteered to join the larger state. Prior to this unification of he islands, each of the Hawaiian islands was ruled by local chiefs who were believed to descend from the Polynesian Earth mother goddess. During the approximate 100 years of Hawaiian rule, many social and political changes occurred on the islands, including increasing trade relations with China and the United States. The first major trade agreements were established with China, with sandalwood traded from Hawaii. Queen Kaʻahumanu (1819-1832), one of the rulers, also attempted to modernize Hawaiian society by helping to introduce literacy and improving women rights (Figure 1). The Hawaiin Hawaiian military also modernized with the introduction of canons and muskets. This was also a period when a constitution was established for rule. In 1848, the Great Māhele was an event that saw major land redistribution on the islands, with 98 percent of lands going to chiefs and nobles. Land could also not be sold but transferred to others with the same lineage. However, what also changed Hawaii in this time was smallpox and other diseases that became common as Hawaiians increasingly came into contact with outsiders. The population went from about 120,000 Hawaiians in 1778 to 24,000 by 1920. <ref>For more on how the Hawaiian kingdom became established, see: Potter, N.W., Kasdon, L.M., Rayson, A., Potter, N.W., 2003. <i>History of the Hawaiian kingdom</i>. Bess Press, Honolulu. </ref>