Hawaii the 50th State

American Minute from William J. Federer

Hawaii became a U.S. Territory JULY 7, 1898, as President McKinley signed the Treaty of Annexation.

Discovered by Captain James Cook in 1778, the islands were united by King Kamehamaha. After his death in 1819, his wife and son abolished the pagan religion which practiced human sacrifice. The next year the first missionaries, led by Hiram Bingham, arrived from New England. They created a written language and translated the Bible.

Hawaii's Motto, "The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness," was first uttered by Queen Ke'opuolani in 1825 as she was baptized into the Christian faith.

Kawaiaha'o, the first Christian Church in Hawaii, was built between 1836-1842 in New England style architecture. It was called the "Westminster Abbey of Hawaii." Fourteen thousand coral slabs, quarried by hand from reefs 10 to 20 feet under water, comprise the main structure. Each slab weighed more than 1,000 pounds.

On April 19, 1970, President Richard Nixon spoke at the church, saying: "Reverend Akaka...I wanted to attend...this great church, with all of its history that is here...having in mind the fact that today...you will be commemorating the 150th anniversary of Christianity in...these islands."

William J. Federer is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and president of Amerisearch, Inc, which is dedicated to researching our American heritage. The American Minute radio feature looks back at events in American history on the dates they occurred, is broadcast daily across the country and read by thousand on the internet.