Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The 1800s were a turbulent time in Hawaii. By the end of the 1790s, Kamehameha the Great
had united all the islands. Foreigners then began arriving by ship—first explorers, then mer-
chants, and in 1820, missionaries. The rulers of Hawaii were hard-pressed to keep up. By 1840
it was clear that the capital had shifted from Lahaina, Maui, where the Kingdom of Hawaii
was actually centered, to Honolulu, where the majority of commerce and trade was taking
place. In 1848, the Great Mahele (division) enabled commoners and eventually foreigners to
own crown land, and in two generations, more than 80% of all private lands had shifted to
foreign ownership. With the introduction of sugar as a crop, the foreigners prospered, and in
time they put more and more pressures on the government.
By 1872, the monarchy had run through the Kamehameha line and in 1873 David Kalakaua
was elected to the throne. Known as the “Merrie Monarch,” Kalakaua redefined the monarchy
by going on a world tour, building Iolani Palace, having a European-style coronation, and
throwing extravagant parties. By the end of the 1800s, however, the foreign sugar growers and
merchants had become extremely powerful in Hawaii. With the assistance of the U.S. Mar-
