Queen Liliuokalani Essay -- Liliuokalani Hawaii Polynesian

Queen Lili'uokalani had ambitious plans for the nation of Hawaii, and wanted to see the rightful power of the monarch restored. Even though she was doing what she thought was best for the people of Hawaii, her dream was never meant to be. She would become known as the last queen ever to reign over the Hawaiian Islands. In the beginning, Hawaii was unknown to any humans. Polynesians eventually came across its islands, and decided to make it their home. In the early days, each island was ruled by a chief, and many times the islands were in conflict with each other. Centuries like this passed, but then "in 1782, [Queen Lili'uokalani's] cousin Kamehameha set out to conquer and unite the islands". Thirteen years later, in 1795, Kamehameha finally fulfilled his vision of a unified Hawaiian state, and he became king. The nation was then to be ruled by Kamehameha's sons. (Guzzetti 10) Queen Lili'uokalani's biological parents were Chief Kapaakea and Chiefess Keohokalole. Because it is a Hawaiian custom to give children to other couples for raising, as the Hawaiians believed it brought different families closer together, Lili'uokalani was given to Paki and Konia. She attended the Royal School, where she met many people, some who became friends, and some who she had already been acquainted with, such as her foster sister, and her biological brother, who would eventually be her predecessor, King Kalakaua. (Guzzetti 10, 12, 28) The Royal School was a new experience for her. At home, she was used to walking around barefoot and wearing as little as possible to keep cool in the warm Hawaiian climate. Because the school was administered by the Cookes, who were missionaries from New England, she had to wear western clothing, meaning she ha... ...illed and Lili'uokalani began to have more patriot feelings for the United States, instead of resentment. She even had the flag of the United States flown over her home, and the Hawaiian one lowered. 1917 Not much later, Lili'uokalani died at the age of seventy-nine. Works Cited Daws, Gavan. The Illustrated Atlas of Hawaii. Honolulu: Island Heritage, 1970. Day, A. Grove. Hawaii: Fiftieth Star. New York: Meredith Press, 1969. Day, A. Grove. Hawaii and Its People. New York: Meredith Press, 1968. Day, A. Grove and Ralph S. Kuykendall. Hawaii: A History. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1961. Guzzetti, Paula. The Last Hawaiian Queen: Liliuokalani. New York: Benchmark Books, 1997. Pratt, Julius W. Expansionists of 1898. Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1964. Tabrah, Ruth M. Hawaii: A Bicentennial History. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1980.