Hawaii becomes the 50th American state

Summary

Podcast Summary: Witness History — Hawaii Becomes the 50th American State

Date: June 29, 2026
Host: Jen Dale (BBC World Service)
Featured Guest: John Wahae, eyewitness and former Governor of Hawaii
Duration: ~9 minutes

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Overview

This episode of Witness History revisits Hawaii’s pivotal transition from US territory to its status as the 50th American state on March 18, 1959. Through a blend of archival audio and a first-person account from John Wahae, then a child and later the first Native Hawaiian to serve as Governor, the podcast explores the social, political, and cultural transformations experienced by Hawaiians during and after statehood. The episode examines both the joyous celebrations surrounding statehood and the complex legacy that still resonates today.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Life in Pre-Statehood Hawaii

• Cultural & Social Landscape

  • Hawaii in the 1950s was a territory, not a state. Native Hawaiians faced discrimination, restricted land access, and bans on the Hawaiian language in schools. The sugar plantation economy was controlled by a small group of oligarchs.
  • [01:13] Jen Dale: "But this exotic landscape isn't always Paradise. In the 1950s, it's a US territory, not a state, which means Hawaiians don't have full U.S. citizenship. They face discrimination. The Hawaiian language is banned in schools."
  • Labor disputes were common, affecting entire communities, including John Wahae's family.
  • [02:16] John Wahae: "My mom would cook some food and we'd all take it down to the gym at the school and feed the people...the entire community were oriented to the idea that justice was not being done."

• Motivation for Statehood

  • Lack of rights and skewed political/power structures prompted local people to see statehood as a potential avenue to justice and equality.
  • [01:56] John Wahae: "The labor laws, for example, the health care law. So many things were unfair to people. Government structure...was very skewed to the oligarchs, essentially."

Historical Context of Annexation & Statehood

• Overthrow and Annexation

  • [02:47] Jen Dale explains Hawaii's journey from kingdom to territory: "In 1893, a group of US white sugar plantation owners overthrow the constitutional monarchy. Five years later, the US government decides it wants to formally incorporate Hawaii into the United States."
  • Local resistance was significant, but annexation proceeded, making Hawaii a US territory in 1900.

• Post-WWII Shift

  • Increased Hawaiian participation in US military during WWII led locals to demand full citizenship and equal rights.
  • [03:47] John Wahae: "Many of these individuals took advantage of one of the benefits of being in the US military, which is have your college paid for. So many of them went off to college, came home and said, look, we don't like this second class citizenship."

• Statehood Politics

  • Alaska and Hawaii both vied for statehood post-war; political maneuvering led Alaska to be the 49th state, with Hawaii following as the 50th.
  • [04:35] John Wahae: "...Alaska was made the 49th state as a kind of a token to the Democratic Congress."

The Moment of Statehood

• Community Reaction

  • [04:58] Archival audio and personal account describe a "two day spree" of public celebrations: bonfires, dancing, parades, and a sense of transformation.
  • [05:45] John Wahae: "It was like the best Christmas you ever had or the best New Year's that you ever went through...this feeling that we were finally first class."
  • School was dismissed immediately; the streets filled with jubilant locals.

• Official Proclamation

  • [06:38] August 21, 1959: Hawaii is officially the 50th state.
  • [06:46] President Eisenhower congratulates Hawaii’s new congressional representatives; the US flag gains a 50th star.

The Mixed Legacy of Statehood

• Initial Impact

  • Native Hawaiians gained the right to vote and full US citizenship, but poverty and land disputes persisted.
  • [07:23] "But problems remain with poverty and land evictions. By the 1970s, some start to be more vocal about Hawaii's relationship with the United States."

• Ongoing Debate

  • Not all Hawaiians see statehood as purely positive, especially in light of the history of annexation.
  • [07:43] John Wahae: "...if you are using that holiday as an opportunity to celebrate the annexation, then you have a problem. You don't have the same unanimity of celebration."
  • The holiday marking statehood remains contentious for some.

Personal Reflections & Achievements

• John Wahae’s Journey
  • His teacher told the class they could aspire to be governor—an idea that seemed fanciful at the time, but ultimately came true for him.
  • [08:50] Jen Dale: "How did it feel when you were appointed governor and the first native Hawaiian to become governor?"
  • [08:51] John Wahae: "Well, it was a great day and the people of Hawaii had definitely made a good choice. But that's just my opinion."
  • Wahae became governor in 1986 and witnessed further recognition of Native Hawaiian rights, including an official US government apology signed by President Bill Clinton.

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Memorable Quotes

• On dreams of leadership
  [00:40] John Wahae (age 12): "You can now become President of the United States and Governor of Hawaii. And everybody went, wow... I said, yeah, I will. I think I'll be governor, you know."
• On the meaning of statehood
  [05:45] John Wahae: "It was like the best Christmas you ever had or the best New Year's that you ever went through. It's that kind of thing where everybody was just celebrating and walking around and this feeling that we were finally first class."
• On the mixed feelings about statehood’s anniversary
  [07:43] John Wahae: "If you are using that holiday as an opportunity to celebrate the annexation, then you have a problem."
• On personal perspective
  [08:18] John Wahae: "If you lived in the plantation and you saw how people were treated then the idea that that would no longer exist, at least not to the same extent. Yeah, it was worthy of celebration."

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Timeline of Key Moments

• [00:40] John Wahae's childhood memory of hearing about statehood in school
• [02:47] Recap of Hawaii’s political history and annexation
• [03:47] Post-WWII push for citizenship and rights
• [04:35] Discussion of Alaska and Hawaii’s parallel statehood journeys
• [05:31] Community celebrations erupt at news of statehood
• [06:38] Official proclamation of statehood on August 21, 1959
• [07:23] Consideration of statehood’s continuing social impact
• [08:50] John Wahae recalls becoming Hawaii’s first native governor

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Conclusion

This episode of Witness History skillfully weaves personal testimony and archival moments to illuminate Hawaii’s journey to statehood—its origins in struggle, collective jubilation, and ongoing complexities. John Wahae’s narrative arc, from a hopeful child in a civics class to the state’s first native governor, encapsulates the transformation and enduring dialogue around Hawaii’s identity and relationship with the United States.

Transcript

[Jen Dale]

Hi, this is Witness History from the BBC World Service. If you're a regular listener, feel free to skip ahead a little bit, but if you're listening for the very first time, welcome. We're the podcast that takes you back to a moment in history by speaking to those who were there and using Amazing Archive. If that sounds like something you'd listen to, hit subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts and and turn on your notifications so you never miss an episode. I'm taking you back to the 18th of March, 1959, when Hawaii is brought into the United States of America as the 50th and final state.

[John Wahae]

We happened to be in what they used to call homeroom with the beginning class, the first class of the day. That was the history civics class. And I remember the teacher saying, you can now become President of the United States and Governor of Hawaii. And everybody went, wow, wow. You know, we're sitting there and all of a sudden, you can be governor, right? I said, yeah, I will. I think I'll be governor, you know, but I don't know how credible that was to anybody, including myself, but it was something to think about.

[Jen Dale]

John Wahae is 12, living with his parents and three sisters in Hawaii, a chain of islands in the Pacific more than 2,000 miles away from the American mainland. John lives in a rural area of what's known as the Big island, known for its lush rainforests, waterfalls, sandy beaches and sugar plantations. John's family fish. His dad enjoys raising cattle whilst working for a phone company. But this exotic landscape isn't always Paradise. In the 1950s, it's a US territory, not a state, which means Hawaiians don't have full U.S. citizenship. They face discrimination. The Hawaiian language is banned in schools. They are denied access to land. Sugar plantation owners dominate the economy.

[John Wahae]

The labor laws, for example, the health care law. So many things were unfair to people. Government structure and the political structure of the territory of Hawaii was very skewed to the oligarchs, essentially.

[Jen Dale]

As a boy, John sees labor disputes.

[John Wahae]

My mom would cook some food and we'd all take it down to the gym at the school and feed the people. You know, create these potlucks every night for the people that were on strike from the sugar plantations. My dad, his union went on strike, not in the plantation, but he worked for the telephone company. So for the most part, the entire community were oriented to the idea that justice was not being done.

[Jen Dale]

Hawaiians believed statehood, which would make them full US citizens, was give them better rights. So what is Hawaii's history with America. Here's a quick rundown. In the 19th century, Hawaii is a kingdom with a sovereign. But in 1893, a group of US white sugar plantation owners overthrow the constitutional monarchy. Five years later, the US government decides it wants to formally incorporate Hawaii into the United States. Known as annexation. Not only because of the sugar industry, but because. But they see Pearl harbor just west of the capital Honolulu, as a strategic navy base. Many native Hawaiians are angry and sign petitions against annexation. Nevertheless, it becomes a US territory in 1900. Hawaii has a diverse population and partly due to racial attitudes of American Southern politicians, the idea of giving statehood to Hawaii doesn't gain any real momentum. That is until after World War II,

[John Wahae]

when people from Hawaii actually served in the US military. My dad, for example, served eight years, he served in the Pacific. Many of these individuals took advantage of one of the benefits of being in the US military, which is have your college paid for. So many of them went off to college, came home and said, look, we don't like this second class citizenship. There were a lot of things that people were not happy about and so statehood was seen as an opportunity to correct a lot of that, but nothing

[Jen Dale]

simple with party politics. Another US territory, Alaska, is seen as the front line of defence in the Cold War. As it's only 50 miles away from the Soviet Union, it's also vying to be the next state.

[John Wahae]

We were probably pushing for statehood earlier than Alaska. Not probably we were, we. But in order to strike the balance, Alaska was made the 49th state as a kind of a token to the Democratic Congress.

[Jen Dale]

Despite losing out to Alaska, there's good news for Hawaii. Two months later, on March 18, 1959.

[Narrator/Additional Interviewee]

Well, we're happy, thrilled, exhilarated, excited. We're just so delighted that after 59 years of very strenuous and arduous work to try to achieve this goal that the Congress of the United States has seen fit to grant statehood for Hawaii.

[John Wahae]

You know, it was this little snowy little box sitting there and everybody that didn't have one came to their neighbor's house who had one and they were watching people making speeches and doing all of this stuff.

[Narrator/Additional Interviewee]

Bonfires light up the tropic night. Hawaiians are celebrating round the clock. The news that the islands have been voted statehood sets off a two day spree and the aloha accent is unmistakable as hula dancers take over Honolulu Stadium.

[John Wahae]

And the first thing that happened was class was dismissed. It became an instant holiday. I remember leaving the school and where I grew up was, you know, small country town with a one road main street, going through the center of shops along the way and all of us leaving the school, walking down there and celebrating. People getting off work and just driving their cars through this one street, blowing their horns, you know, like boo, boo, boo. And there wasn't only cars. They were dancing on the streets, they were dancing in the restaurants. The entire day was a party. It was like the best Christmas you ever had or the best New Year's that you ever went through. It's that kind of thing where everybody was just celebrating and walking around and this feeling that we were finally first class.

[Jen Dale]

And five months later, on August 21, 1959, Hawaii is officially proclaimed America's 50th state.

[Narrator/Additional Interviewee]

President Eisenhower congratulates the new congressional representatives of Hawaii. Before the simple ceremonies that remake the geography of the United States, we will wish for her prosperity, security, happiness and a growing closer relationship with all of the other states. Statehood does not change Hawaii as much as it changes the United States. President Eisenhower unfurls the banner that will fly from The White House July 4th. Next with nine rows of stars. Another new look for all Glory.

[Jen Dale]

Native Hawaiians become full US Citizens and can vote in national elections. But problems remain with poverty and land evictions. By the 1970s, some start to be more vocal about Hawaii's relationship with the United States. Statehood becomes a divisive issue and not everyone wants to mark the anniversary.

[John Wahae]

Because on one hand, if we are celebrating the change from second class to first class citizenship, which is what the motivation for statehood was, then it's something that is unanimously accepted. But if you are using that holiday as an opportunity to celebrate the annexation, then you have a problem. You don't have the same unanimity of celebration.

[Jen Dale]

But John still looks upon the day Hawaii was given statehood fondly.

[John Wahae]

Because I grew up in a plantation town and I knew what it was like to live under the bosses. If you lived in the plantation and you saw how people were treated then the idea that that would no longer exist, at least not to the same extent. Yeah, it was worthy of celebration.

[Jen Dale]

And there's something else worthy of celebration. Remember how John's teacher told him and his classmates they could be governor one day? How did it feel when you were appointed governor and the first native Hawaiian to become governor?

[John Wahae]

Well, it was a great day and the people of Hawaii had definitely made a good choice. But that's just my opinion.

[Jen Dale]

John becomes the fourth governor of the state of Hawaii in 1986. During his time in office, U.S. president Bill Clinton signs a resolution apologizing for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and and the deprivation of the rights of native Hawaiians to self determination. John is now a business consultant in Honolulu. He was speaking to me. Jen Dale for Witness History. If you found this interesting, why not check out our other Hawaii episodes including the death of Captain Cook and the Purple Heart Warriors, a Japanese American battalion in World War II that became one of the most decorated army units in U.S. military history. And why not leave us a review and hit subscribe? Thanks for listening. From the brilliant and bizarre, it was really surreal. It was a surreal kind of atmosphere there.

[Narrator/Additional Interviewee]

You couldn't really see anybody.

[Jen Dale]

To the shocking and unexpected.

[John Wahae]

I'm just wondering, what are we going to do now?

[Jen Dale]

This was really my worst fear. He found 100% horse meat that was labeled as beef. Witness the stories that have shaped our world, told by the people who were there. When he went to the factory, the poodle went in front of him.

[Narrator/Additional Interviewee]

So the workers.

[Jen Dale]

Only the bosses here.

[Narrator/Additional Interviewee]

Many people had many things to lose. By our victory, the future was not so bright.

[Jen Dale]

Witness History.

[John Wahae]

We had a designer, he bought in a fully storyboarded idea about how the

[Jen Dale]

queen would arrive by jumping out of a helicopter.

[John Wahae]

And we all said, that's brilliant, but

[Jen Dale]

it's never going to happen. Witness [e-mail] witness history or wherever you get your podcasts.