Don Wildman

1959, Hawaii becomes the 50th state after a plebiscite.

Now, let's talk about that, because how do we go from all of this intricacies of what happened over the previous decades to the final resolution, which is we're going to make you a state?

How many Hawaiians were even in favor of that?

Right.

And the attack on it, of course, is the iconic reason for all of that.

1959, Hawaii officially becomes the 50th U.S.

state.

We're past that point.

It's still a controversial issue for decades afterwards.

It remains so today.

1993, the Congress passes the apology resolution, formally acknowledging all of what was already known

century before, which is that this was all done in an illegal overthrow with lack of native consent, no reparations or restoration of sovereignty.

And today that remains the real sticking point, isn't it?

Is there any chance of some major change and sovereignty being replaced or not?

Exactly.

Well, still go there.

You got to go there.

And now keep that in mind as you lull on the beach, you know, and order your cocktails.

There's a whole other aspect to this experience for you.

Noah Dolem is an assistant professor of history at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, specializing in 19th century Hawaii.