August 21

On August 21, 1959, Hawaii becomes the 50th state.

Hawaii has an interesting history. First settled by Polynesians, it was discovered by James Cook in 1778. He named the islands the Sandwich Islands for European purposes. Cook died there in a dispute with the local people.

In 1810, the various tribes were united under Kamehameha the Great. Europeans were settling on the islands, and in 1887 pushed the signing of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii. This was a document that limited the king's power, disenfranchised Asian voters, and restricted voting to wealthy European landowners. In 1893, a group of landowners staged a coup and created a provisional government. This coup had the aid of a group of marines that were there to "protect" the American residents.

Despite this, a lot of American government officials had qualms about what to do with Hawaii. Grover Cleveland's government declared the coup illegal and demanded Queen Liliʻuokalani be returned to power. The provisional government refused. Congress on the other hand looked more favorably upon the landowner's actions.

In 1898, Hawaii was formally annexed to the United States. While many residents wanted statehood, the landowners that ran Hawaii preferred territorial status. Statehood would confer voting rights on all legal citizens, not just the wealthy. When voting on statehood at long last, Hawaiians voted 17-1 in favor.