Podcast Summary: American History Hit – The Annexation of Hawaiʻi
Host: Don Wildman
Guest: Noah Dolom, Assistant Professor of History, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Date: January 29, 2026

Overview:

This episode delves deep into the complex and tumultuous history behind the annexation of Hawaiʻi by the United States, focusing on the overthrow of the native monarchy in the late 19th century. Host Don Wildman is joined by Dr. Noah Dolom, an expert in 19th-century Hawaiian history, to uncover the critical events, cultural encounters, legal manipulations, and legacies of U.S. intervention—contextualized by ongoing debates about sovereignty, justice, and identity for Native Hawaiians.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Hawaiian Sovereignty and Contact

• Pre-unification Hawaiʻi: Before 1810, the islands were independent chiefdoms ruled by major chiefs. The chief Kamehameha unified the archipelago through military campaigns.
  • "Prior to the unification of the islands in 1810, Hawaiʻi was actually not Hawaiʻi. It was an archipelago of islands, each with its own name… separate chiefdoms or kingdoms." (Noah Dolom, 05:46)
• European Arrival and Disease: Captain Cook’s arrival in 1778 marked the beginning of devastating population decline due to disease: from approximately 400,000–800,000 to about 40,000 by the late 1800s.
  • "In just over a little over a hundred years, the Hawaiian population was at 40,000. So you're looking at 90 to 95% population loss since the time of Captain Cook's arrival." (Noah Dolom, 08:11)

2. Missionaries, Diplomacy & Monarchical Reforms

• Missionary Arrival (1820s): New England Calvinist missionaries were the first formal foreign settlers; their arrival marked a turning point toward deeper American/European influence.
• International Recognition & Legal Reform:
  • Hawaiian Kingdom became internationally recognized in the 1840s, diplomatically engaging with Britain, France, and the United States.
  • Adoption of a constitution (1840) and move towards a constitutional monarchy modeled on British/American systems, with Houses of Nobles and Representatives.
    • "...taking parts of Hawaiian traditional Hawaiian rulership as well... And then the bottom house, the House of Representatives, was the house of the peoples.” (Noah Dolom, 13:33)

3. Economic Shifts and Land Reform

• Sandalwood & Whaling: Early economic ties to Chinese and American markets.
• The Great Mahele (1848): Attempted reform to secure Hawaiian lands but resulted in complicated processes that ultimately saw most land end up with elites and foreigners.
  • "A lot of people, they just didn't understand the point of privatizing land...you had people who just kind of ignored it. There was also a financial aspect..." (Noah Dolom, 22:01)

4. Plantations & Strategic U.S. Interest

• Sugar Plantations: Became lucrative during the U.S. Civil War; planters pushed for favorable trade with the U.S.
• Reciprocity Treaty & Pearl Harbor: King Kalākaua’s treaty granted U.S. exclusive access to Pearl Harbor for coaling in exchange for tariff-free sugar.
• Rising Foreign Influence: American (and some European) settlers, often missionary descendants, gained increasing power in government.

5. Erosion of Hawaiian Power & Overthrow

• Bayonet Constitution (1887): Forced on King Kalākaua by foreign elites (a “secret society”), stripping the monarchy of power and disenfranchising many Native Hawaiians.
  • "They write a new constitution that basically shifted all of this executive power into the legislative branch. Then they forced Kalakawa to sign this constitution under the threat of violence..." (Noah Dolom, 29:21)
• Queen Liliʻuokalani’s Reign:
  • She inherited a crippled monarchy and sought to restore native rights and royal authority via a new constitution.
  • "Her main goal during her reign, was to write a new constitution for the Hawaiian Kingdom. But this was a very hard task because of the limitations of the bayonet constitution..." (Noah Dolom, 34:16)
• Committee of Safety & U.S. Marines: American and European planters formed an elite cabal, instigated the 1893 overthrow with support from U.S. minister John L. Stevens and landed Marines—against U.S. directive.
  • "Stevens took it upon himself to call those Marines ashore as a show of force…to be the unofficial militia for this Hawaiian League..." (Noah Dolom, 38:02)
• Queen Yields to Avoid Bloodshed: She yielded authority under protest, believing the U.S. would restore justice—an act of faith that went unfulfilled.

6. Annexation & Transition to U.S. Territory

• Hawaiian Resistance:
  • "There was massive, massive resistance from Hawaiian people, not just of the monarchy and the chiefs, but of the people of the land." (Noah Dolom, 45:53)
  • The 1897 "Kūʻē Petitions" gathered over 28,000 signatures—reflecting near-unanimous native opposition.
• U.S. Expansionism & Spanish-American War:
  • U.S. strategic interests (esp. Pearl Harbor during the war) outweighed native opposition.
  • Annexation was passed by joint congressional resolution (Newlands Resolution, 1898), sidestepping the normal treaty process.
    • "There is no treaty of annexation that ever existed between..." (Noah Dolom, 49:27)
• Land Dispossession & Statehood:
  • The lands set aside for the monarchy were absorbed by the U.S. government; Queen Liliʻuokalani was never compensated.
  • 1900: Hawaiʻi became a U.S. territory; 1959: Statehood—approved via plebiscite but with lingering controversy regarding true native consent.

7. Legacy, Sovereignty & Cultural Survival

• Impact on Hawaiian Culture:
  • Language education was banned; traditional practices discouraged.
  • Continued land dispossession led to poverty and social problems among Native Hawaiians.
• Modern Movements:
  • 1993: U.S. issued a formal "Apology Resolution" acknowledging the illegal overthrow, but without remedies or restoration of sovereignty.
• Continuing Struggles & Sovereignty Debates:
  • "There's different facets of the community that have very different ideas about what sovereignty might look like..." (Noah Dolom, 56:07)
  • Focus has shifted for many toward community health, education, and food security—a practical form of sovereignty in face of political impasse.
• Cultural Revitalization: Significant growth in Hawaiian language and culture education, shifting generational knowledge and awareness.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cultural Misunderstanding & Loss:
  • "Hawaiʻi's sovereignty has been seized, not surrendered. No battle is fought. But a kingdom ends not because its people abandoned it, but because a foreign power arrived by sea and rendered resistance impossible." (Don Wildman, 01:26)
• On Land Reforms’ Irony:
  • "It required the common people… to put in land claims for the pieces of property they had already been living on. And so ultimately… got very, very little land…" (Noah Dolom, 21:00)
• On the Bayonet Constitution:
  • "They forced Kalakawa to sign this constitution under the threat of violence, which is why it's called the Bayonet Constitution." (Noah Dolom, 29:21)
• On Native Opposition to Annexation:
  • "The Kūʻē [resistance] petitions… were about 28,000 signatures, which was…the bulk of the adult population of Native Hawaiians." (Noah Dolom, 47:00)
• On Legacies of Dispossession:
  • "Those crown lands until today, until or now in 2026, are a huge part of land issues in Hawaii because of their suspect transition…" (Noah Dolom, 51:54)
• On Ongoing Sovereignty Debates:
  • "…there's some particular issues in Hawaiʻi that people have turned their energy towards and… as other forms of sovereignty… like food security, housing, education. Because what's the point of having a politically sovereign nation if you don't have sovereignty over those building blocks of community first?" (Noah Dolom, 56:07)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• The Overthrow of the Monarchy – Opening Narrative (01:26–04:32)
• Pronunciation and Etymology of Hawaiʻi (04:34–04:51)
• Pre-Contact Society, Unification by Kamehameha (05:46–07:11)
• European Arrival, Population Decline (07:45–09:10)
• Missionaries & Early American Influence (09:47–10:53)
• International Recognition, Law & Government (10:53–13:33)
• Great Mahele and Land Dispossession (19:12–23:00)
• Sugar, U.S. Trade and Pearl Harbor (24:03–27:08)
• Bayonet Constitution and Diminished Monarchy (27:30–30:22)
• Queen Liliʻuokalani and Constitutional Crisis (32:56–37:15)
• U.S. Marines, Overthrow, and Immediate Aftermath (37:15–39:28)
• Native Resistance and Kūʻē Petitions (45:53–48:14)
• Annexation, Spanish-American War, and Statehood (48:14–54:29)
• 1993 Apology, Sovereignty Debates, and Cultural Survival (55:06–59:04)
• Cultural Revitalization & the Importance of Education (59:04–59:41)

Takeaways

• Annexation was not an inevitable or popular process for Native Hawaiians, who resisted through organized petitions and political groups.
• The legal and military manipulations behind the overthrow and annexation have ongoing consequences for land, culture, and identity in Hawaiʻi.
• The story of Hawaiʻi’s annexation spotlights broader themes of colonization, economic exploitation, and the resilient search for justice and restoration.
• Recent revival in Hawaiian language and culture is a testament to ongoing resistance and cultural survival even as political sovereignty remains contested.

Final Thought:
As you enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Hawaiʻi, remember the deep and sometimes tragic history beneath the surface—one marked by struggle, resilience, and an enduring quest for justice and self-determination.