FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Hawaii Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Hawaii Quizzes, Trivia

Hawaii History Trivia

Hawaii History Trivia Quizzes

  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. History Trivia
  6. »
  7. U.S. States & Cities

Fun Trivia
4 Hawaii History quizzes and 40 Hawaii History trivia questions.
1.
  Hawaiian History   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Since I'm sitting in Hawai'i for a two week vacation, I thought it would be appropriate to do a quiz on this island state's history.
Tough, 10 Qns, pshelton, Jun 24 08
Tough
pshelton gold member
922 plays
2.
  Sailing to the Sandwich Islands   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A quiz on the history of Hawaii, which was once known as the Sandwich Islands. This quiz focuses primarily on the history of Native Hawaiians and the island's early history.
Average, 10 Qns, Joepetz, Dec 10 15
Average
Joepetz gold member
491 plays
3.
  Hawaii   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some questions relating to "The Aloha State".
Average, 10 Qns, Gargoyle007, Jul 30 08
Average
Gargoyle007
1476 plays
4.
  Hawaiian Politics    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
History and politics of the 50th State.
Tough, 10 Qns, sku, Jun 14 14
Tough
sku
401 plays
trivia question Quick Question
Who was the first Asian American to serve in the United States Senate?

From Quiz "Hawaiian Politics"




Related Topics
  Hawaii [Geography] (30 quizzes)

  Pearl Harbor [History] (5 quizzes)


Hawaii History Trivia Questions

1. The first people to settle in Hawaii were the Polynesians who are estimated to have arrived in the year 1 A.D. via which method?

From Quiz
Sailing to the Sandwich Islands

Answer: Canoe

Polynesians had traveled to the Hawaiian Islands via canoe. They also brought with them crops such as sugar and domesticated animals like pigs. These Polynesians may have at one point been aboriginal Australians who were known to have primitive versions of canoes. The canoe itself is not believed to be a Polynesian invention as it is sometimes said to be. Canoes predating Polynesians have been excavated in the Netherlands and Denmark.

2. What group of people are believed to have first settled Hawaii?

From Quiz Hawaii

Answer: Polynesians

Anthropologists believe that Polynesians first populated the Hawaiian Islands between 300 and 500 A.D. The earliest settlers are believed to have come from the Marquesas.

3. Even though Polynesians had long been living in Hawaii, Captain James Cook "discovered" the islands on 18 January 1778. What was the name that Cook gave to these islands?

From Quiz Hawaiian History

Answer: Sandwich Islands

At the time of Cook's landing in Hawaii, the First Lord of the Admiralty in Britain was John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. Cook named the islands in his honor. On his return to the islands, Cook was killed by Hawaiian natives on 14 February 1779.

4. Who was the last ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii?

From Quiz Hawaiian Politics

Answer: Queen Liliuokalani

Liliuokalani reigned from 1891 until she was overthrown in 1893.

5. Which British explorer, who circumnavigated New Zealand, originally named the Hawaiian Islands the Sandwich Islands in 1778 after John Montagu, fourth Earl of Sandwich?

From Quiz Sailing to the Sandwich Islands

Answer: James Cook

This is the same Earl of Sandwich whose named is given to the snack. Cook was attempting to discover the Northwest Passage between Europe and Asia at the time he landed in Hawaii. Cook noted that many of the local Hawaiians were strong and healthy. However, when the French arrived a decade later, they said many of the people were weak and sick, likely from the new diseases the British brought.

6. What name did British explorer, James Cook, give to the islands?

From Quiz Hawaii

Answer: The Sandwich Islands

James Cook named the islands after one of his sponsors, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich.

7. What was James Cook actually searching for when he came upon the Hawaiian Islands?

From Quiz Hawaiian History

Answer: Northwest Passage

James Cook was a well-traveled explorer who was the first to map Newfoundland, the first to travel south of the Antarctic circle, the first to circumnavigate New Zealand and also the first to make contact with eastern Australia. As was the case with so many explorers of this age, Cook endeavored to discover the fabled Northwest Passage for a faster route between Europe and Asia.

8. Who was the president of the Republic of Hawaii, which succeded the monarchy?

From Quiz Hawaiian Politics

Answer: Sanford Dole & Dole

Dole had been a justice on Hawaii's supreme court and was actually not a supporter of the revolution, though he accepted the presidency. He was Hawaii's only president, serving from 1893 to 1898, when Hawaii was annexed by the United States, after which he served as Governor of the Territory of Hawaii.

9. What is the name of the Hawaiian king who, in 1810, unified the islands under one flag?

From Quiz Sailing to the Sandwich Islands

Answer: Kamehameha I

Kamehameha I is said to have fulfilled an ancient Hawaiian prophecy that states that the one who moves the Naha Stone would unite the islands. Many people and leaders believed Kamehameha I to be not worthy of even attempting such a task, but he did so any way and later united the islands. It is unknown how much of this story is actually true.

10. By 1810 all of the populated islands were ruled by one person. What was his or her name?

From Quiz Hawaii

Answer: Kamehameha I

King Kamehameha I established the House of Kamehameha which ruled over the Kingdom until 1872.

11. Which king was the first to unite all of the islands of the Hawaiian chain under one kingdom?

From Quiz Hawaiian History

Answer: Kamehameha I

Also known as Kamehameha the Great, he was born either in 1737 or 1758 (during the appearance of Halley's Comet) on the island of Hawai'i. A member of the "ali'i" or royal family, he was raised in the royal court of his uncle, Kalaniʻopuʻu. By 1810, Kamehameha had conquered all of the islands in the chain and was king of a unified Hawaiian islands.

12. What American president called for a restoration of the Hawaiian monarchy?

From Quiz Hawaiian Politics

Answer: Grover Cleveland

His predecessor, Benjamin Harrison, had supported the 1893 coup which overthrew the Hawiian royal family. Cleveland, who came to office just months after the coup, called it a "substantial wrong" and resisted American annexation of Hawaii through his term.

13. The 1819 Battle of Kuamo'o was fought over the abolishment of the kapu system. What exactly is the kapu system?

From Quiz Sailing to the Sandwich Islands

Answer: Codes of conduct or generally "what not to do" rules

The kapu system put strict restrictions on the people of Hawaii, mainly involving contact with people of high rank. Kapu means 'forbidden' and if something is said to be kapu, it means taboo. Under the kapu system, it was strictly forbidden to even look at a chief. Women were forbidden to eat certain fruits including coconut and bananas. King Kamehameha II abolished the system by symbolically sharing his kapu fruit with women of his court. He did so because the kapu system gave too much power to tribal chiefs and the king wanted to make sure that his successor was a descendent of his. The defeat of the pro-kapu forces led to the Christianization of Hawaii as the local religion's power was significantly weakened.

14. What was the nickname given to the Kingdom of Hawaii's 1887 Constitution?

From Quiz Hawaii

Answer: Bayonet Constitution

The 1887 Constitution was also known as the "Bayonet Constitution". King Kalâkaua was forced to sign the constitution which effectively stripped him of administrative authority, eliminated voting rights for Asians, and set minimum income and property requirements for American, European and native Hawaiian voters.

15. Up until what year were the islands considered a British protectorate?

From Quiz Hawaiian History

Answer: 1816

The Union Jack of Great Britain was the flag used by the Hawaiians until 1816. The state flag still has the Union Jack in its upper left corner.

16. What year was Hawaii annexed by the United States?

From Quiz Hawaiian Politics

Answer: 1898

Once President Grover Cleveland, an opponent of annexation, was replaced by William McKinley, Hawaii was annexed by the United States.

17. What is the name of the British admiral who briefly succeeded in securing Hawaii as a British crown colony in 1843?

From Quiz Sailing to the Sandwich Islands

Answer: Lord George Paulet

The event is called the Paulet Affair. Lord Paulet had landed in Honolulu Harbor and demanded Kamehameha III turn over possession of the islands to the British. Fearing attack, Kamehameha resigned. However, Gerrit P. Judd, an American missionary to Hawaii and a translator to the king, opposed the British seizure of the islands. The U.S. and France had previously ignored, when informed of such a thing by the British, warnings that the islands would be attacked if Kamehameha III did not step down as king. When Judd informed Richard Darton Thomas, Paulet's superior, Thomas returned control of Hawaii to Kamehameha III.

18. What was the name of the group who seized power after Queen Liliuokalani sought to establish a new constitution in 1893?

From Quiz Hawaii

Answer: Committee of Safety

Upon the overthrow of the Queen, U.S. President Grover Cleveland commissioned the Blount Report which asserted that the coup was illegal. Cleveland demanded that Queen Liliuokalani be put back on the throne. The provisional government, formed mainly by members of the Committee of Safety, refused. Congress then performed their own investigation into this event and came up with the Morgan Report. The Morgan Report in 1894 found all parties involved in the overthrow "not guilty" except for former Queen Liliuokalani. In 1993, the U.S. government officially apologized for the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

19. What denomination of Christians were among the first and most prominent in converting the islands to Christianity?

From Quiz Hawaiian History

Answer: Congregationalists

A group of Congregationalists from New England arrived in the islands in 1820 and soon had converted some of the prominent members of the royal class. Other Christian denominations also made their way to Hawaii and left their mark on the islands. The saga of the early missionaries was popularized by James Michener in his book, "Hawaii".

20. Since statehood, how many Republicans have represented Hawaii in Congress (House and Senate) during the four decades 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s?

From Quiz Hawaiian Politics

Answer: 2

Only Senator Hiram Fong (1959-1977) and Congresswoman Patricia Saiki (1987-91).

21. The Reciprocity Act of 1875 between the United States and Hawaii called for the duty-free import of which important Hawaiian crop into the United States?

From Quiz Sailing to the Sandwich Islands

Answer: Sugar

In addition to sugar, rice was also given duty-free import status, but it was sugar that was far more crucial. Americans began investing in sugar plantations and Hawaii saw an increase in immigrants from Asia. Although it was not part of the formal act, in return the U.S. received Pearl Harbor and other lands when the U.S. demanded them for naval reasons.

22. Under which U.S. President did Hawaii officially become a U.S. territory?

From Quiz Hawaii

Answer: William McKinley

On July 7, 1898, William McKinley signed the resolution making Hawaii a U.S. territory.

23. What was the ancient Hawaiian system of laws and customs that were strictly enforced for many generations?

From Quiz Hawaiian History

Answer: Kapu

Kapu was similar to the concept of taboo common to other Polynesian cultures and it governed many facets of everyday life. For example, men and women were forbidden to eat meals together. Breaking a kapu could result in a sentence of death. Around 1819, King Kamehameha II abolished the kapu customs.

24. Who was the first Asian American to serve in the United States Senate?

From Quiz Hawaiian Politics

Answer: Hiram Fong

Fong was elected in 1959. Dalip Singh Saund, who represented California, was the first Asian-American to serve in the U.S. Congress; he was elected to the House three years earlier, in 1956. Inouye became Hawaii's first member of the House of Representatives in 1959 and later, became the first Japanese-American in the U.S. Senate (Fong was Chinese-American). Patsy Mink, elected in 1964, was the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress.

25. The 1887 Bayonet Constitution, which stripped the king of his powers, also did what, which further strengthened the U.S. hold on the islands?

From Quiz Sailing to the Sandwich Islands

Answer: Enforced voting restrictions

White Americans living in Hawaii constituted a minority, but a powerful minority. They opposed King David Kalakaua's spending which saw the islands fall into severe debt. The Bayonet Constitution essentially ceded power to the Americans as well as the Europeans living there and a few wealthy native Hawaiians. Voting was mostly restricted to whites who then controlled elections and appointments. One of the key leaders of the effort to oust the king was Sanford Dole, cousin to James Dole who founded the Dole Pineapple Company.

26. What was the name of the Act of Congress allowing the U.S. to annex the Republic of Hawaii and turn it into a U.S. territory?

From Quiz Hawaii

Answer: Newlands Resolution

The Newlands Resolution was named after U.S. Congressman Francis G. Newlands. The resolution was approved on July 4, 1898 and signed by President William McKinley on July 7, 1898.

27. What was the Great Mahele?

From Quiz Hawaiian History

Answer: A land redistribution act which abolished the old feudal system

Prior to 1848, when the Great Mahele was enacted, lands belonged to chiefs on behalf of the king in a feudal system. There was no private ownership of land. This act was one many of the reforms made by King Kamehameha III and allowed commoners and foreigners to own land.

28. Born in Hawaii, who made a brief run for President as an anti-Vietnam war candidate?

From Quiz Hawaiian Politics

Answer: Patsy Mink

Mink's 1972 Democratic primary candidacy was brief but spirited. Fong ran as a "favorite son" candidate for the Republican nomination in 1964 and 1968. Tom Gill, like Mink an opponent of the Vietnam War, ran an insurgent campaign for Governor in 1970, but was defeated.

29. Who was the first Queen of Hawaii (and the last monarch when she was overthrown in 1893)?

From Quiz Sailing to the Sandwich Islands

Answer: Liliuokalani

Liliuokalani was the sister of King David Kalakaua. She immediately tried a compromise constitution that restored power to the monarchy but kept the voting restrictions in place. Almost immediately, the powerful American/European minority rejected her and appealed to the U.S. for formal annexation. She was eventually arrested in 1895 after a failed attempt to drive out the U.S. military. She was sentenced to hard labor but spent years imprisoned in Iolani Palace, where she wrote some of her famous Hawaiian love songs.

30. What U.S. naval base was attacked on December 7, 1941?

From Quiz Hawaii

Answer: Pearl Harbor

The answer of course is Pearl Harbor. The Act of 13 May 1908 authorized the expansion and dredging of Pearl Harbor's channel and lochs in order to be able to accommodate the largest ships of the U.S. fleet. The act also authorized building of more shops and supply houses for the Navy Yard and construction of a dry dock.

This is category 18129
play trivia = Top 5% Rated Quiz, take trivia quiz Top 10% Rated Quiz, test trivia quiz Top 20% Rated Quiz, popular trivia A Well Rated Quiz
new quizzes = added recently, editor pick = Editor's Pick editor = FunTrivia Editor gold = Gold Member

Teachers / educators: FunTrivia welcomes the use of our website and quizzes in the classroom as a teaching aid or for preparing and testing students. See our education section. Our quizzes are printable and may be used as question sheets by k-12 teachers, parents, and home schoolers.

 ·  All questions, answers, and quiz content on this website is copyright FunTrivia, Inc and may not be reproduced without permission. Any images from TV shows and movies are copyright their studios, and are being used under "fair use" for commentary and education.